Backup and Restore Enhancements

The enhancements introduced in SQL Server 2012 SP1 Cumulative Update 2, enable backup and restore from the Windows Azure Blob storage service from SQL Server using TSQL or SMO. To request the update from Microsoft Customer Support, see this article.

PowerShell support for SQL Server backup and restore with the Windows Azure Blob storage service is added in SQL Server 2012 SP1 Cumulative Update 4. To request the update from Microsoft Customer Support, see this knowledgebase article.

For more information on using PowerShell to backup to Windows Azure Blob storage service, see Use PowerShell to Backup Multiple Databases to Windows Azure Blob Storage Service.

SQL Server Backup and Restore with the Windows Azure Blob Storage Service

Expanding on current backup storage options, native SQL Server backups can now be stored in Windows Azure Blob storage. This enhancement can be used to backup SQL Server databases on an on-premises instance or an instance of SQL Server running a hosted environment such as Windows Azure Virtual Machine. With this new functionality, you can now back up directly to and restore from the Windows Azure Blob storage. Backing up to the Windows Azure Blob storage service has specific benefits. It can be an offsite storage option for the on-premises database backups, or used when you migrate an on-premises database to an instance of SQL Server running in a Windows Azure Virtual Machine. For more details on benefits, see SQL Server Backup and Restore with Windows Azure Blob Storage Service.

The following are limitations specific to this release:

  • The maximum backup size supported is 1 TB.

  • In this implementation, you can issue backup or restore statements by using TSQL or SMO. A backup to or restoring from the Windows Azure Blob storage service by using SQL Server Management Studio Backup or Restore wizard is not currently enabled.

  • For more information and other limitations, see SQL Server Backup and Restore with Windows Azure Blob Storage Service.