Getting Started

With IBM Storage® Protect for Databases: Data Protection for Microsoft™ SQL Server software, you can back up and restore Microsoft SQL Server databases to IBM Storage Protect storage or local shadow volumes. A local shadow volume contains data that is stored on shadow volumes, which are local to a disk storage system.

Data Protection for SQL Server provides a connection between an SQL Server and IBM Storage Protect, which allows SQL Server data to be protected and managed by IBM Storage Protect. Data Protection for SQL Server protects SQL Server data and improves the availability of SQL Server databases and enables you to continue to run primary applications on your database servers while data is backed up and restored.

You can use a command-line interface or graphical user interface (GUI) to back up and restore SQL Server databases. For more information about backing up and restoring SQL Server databases, see your SQL Server documentation.

Microsoft supports the Microsoft Legacy application programming interface (API) for streaming backup and restore operations. Microsoft also supports the use of Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) technology for backup and restore operations.

Data Protection for SQL Server uses the IBM Storage Protect API to communicate with IBM Storage Protect and the SQL Server API to communicate with SQL Server.

In addition to these APIs, Data Protection for SQL Server VSS operations require the IBM Storage Protect backup-archive client (VSS Requestor) and Microsoft VSS to produce an online snapshot (point-in-time consistent copy) of SQL Server data.