Backing up your Azure SQL databases used to be a complex task, but with SQLBackupAndFTP with Azure, it has become much simpler. In this article, we will walk you through the steps to easily backup your Azure SQL databases using SQLBackupAndFTP.

Step 1: Connect to SQL Server / Azure

Once you have SQLBackupAndFTP with Azure installed, click on the “Connect to SQL Server / Azure” button. This will open a window where you can specify the connection properties for your Azure SQL databases.

Step 2: Run the Backup

After specifying the connection properties, click on the “Run Now” button to start the backup process for your Azure SQL database(s).

Step 3: Schedule Backups

If you want to schedule regular backups, you can do so by checking the “Schedule this job on the main form” option. This will allow you to run the backup job once daily. For more advanced scheduling options, you can go to the Advanced Settings.

Additional Requirements

In order for SQLBackupAndFTP with Azure to work properly, there are a couple more things you need to take care of:

Find your Azure SQL Databases Server Name/Connection String

If you don’t know the server name of your Azure SQL database, you can find it on the Windows Azure Management site. Sign in with your Microsoft account, navigate to the “SQL DATABASES” menu item, and click on your database name. Then, click on the “Show connection strings” link in the bottom right corner. Copy the “Server” property value of the “ADO.NET” connection and paste it into the “Server Name” field of the “Connect to SQL Server / Azure” window in SQLBackupAndFTP.

Allow your IP address to connect to your Azure SQL Databases server

In order for SQLBackupAndFTP to connect to your Azure SQL Database, you need to configure Azure’s firewall to allow access from your IP address. Login to the Windows Azure Management site with your Microsoft account, navigate to the “SQL DATABASES” menu item, and click on your database. Then, click on the “Manage allowed IP addresses” link in the bottom right corner. On this page, you can specify the allowed IP addresses for your databases. Make sure to add the IP address of the machine where SQLBackupAndFTP is running to ensure a successful connection to Azure.

Summary

With SQLBackupAndFTP with Azure, backing up your Azure SQL databases has become a simple and straightforward process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily schedule and run backups of your Azure SQL databases, as well as regular SQL Server databases.