Home Forums SQL Server 2005 Backups Database Backup fails due to lack of disk space RE: Database Backup fails due to lack of disk space

  • July 28, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    #1199545

    chris.s.powell (7/27/2010)

    Is this a full backup being taken? If so, try running a transaction log backup five minutes prior, this will shrink the log file, which will make the full backup smaller.

    This isn't true. backing up a log file does not shrink it, it merely flushes out all transactions that have been marked as completed.

    There are other options which have not been mentioned.

  • Upgrade to SQL Server 2008 which has native backup compression. The caveat being that it only works if TDE is not enabled.
  • Tell the client to back up the directory onto tape. This way you can delete the old backup prior to creating a new one.

    • Third party tools or another drive would be the much cheaper alternative even if it's just a cheap usb device that you can transfer the backup onto directly after it has been created. Ideally if you are copying the data it should be onto another server that is being backed up to tape.

    Hope this helps,
    Rich

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