Is your DNS alias definitely pointing to the right instance?

I'm not sure how large your large databases are, but would you consider trying a native backup & restore instead? You could stripe the backups across multiple files and then...

There can be many reasons. Try checking the log_reuse_wait_desc next time. It will tell you if (e.g.) there's a long-running transaction in progress, or maybe the database is in an...

These are all good points. What bugs me most of all is when people here go out of their way to be helpful, giving their time and expertise freely, and...

You can't do that in basic SSMS, but if you register a Central Management Server you could group your instances in it however you wanted.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/register-servers/create-a-central-management-server-and-server-group

"A BACPAC file is a ZIP file with an extension of BACPAC containing the metadata and data from a SQL Server database. A BACPAC file can be stored in Azure blob storage or in local storage in an...

Agreed, in case you need any more people to say it. These accounts are not meant to be used by humans. Use them to run your services.

Oh yes, of course! You're not a contractor, are you?

I'm seeing £349?

https://sqlbits.com/information/pricing

That will be fine unless another joker also takes a parrot on a stick :).

We haven't. I've only met Chris so far! (Chris, if I appear to blank you, say hi; I'm partially face-blind, which causes me no end of social problems :D.)

Hmm, I think I'd be pushing my luck :D.

Which sessions are you going to?