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Take FULL and DIFFERENTIAL backups

SQL ServerBackup & Log

Command

-- Full backup:
BACKUP DATABASE [Customer]
TO DISK = N'D:\Backup\Customer_full_20260706.bak'
WITH COMPRESSION, CHECKSUM, INIT, STATS = 10;

-- Differential backup:
BACKUP DATABASE [Customer]
TO DISK = N'D:\Backup\Customer_diff_20260706.bak'
WITH DIFFERENTIAL, COMPRESSION, CHECKSUM, INIT, STATS = 10;

What it does

FULL backs up the entire database; DIFFERENTIAL backs up the extents changed since the last FULL.

When to use it

FULL: daily/weekly base backup. DIFF: fast intermediate backups between FULLs.

Caution

Restoring a DIFF requires its base FULL backup. INIT overwrites the existing file; with a wrong file name you lose a backup. CHECKSUM catches corruption early.

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