I confess that I'm not an SQL wiz. I want to create a maintenance plan to
help me space management. Currently, I do a full backup on tape of my SQL
server each night. It seems that SQL does a backup copy of each database
into a backup folder, too. I have to keep going in and deleting old .bak
files to free up space. I'd like to do a maintenance plan that tells it to
do a backup and overwrite the existing file. I also want to do a shrink
database, too. When I do the maintenance plan wizard, I get a message that
says, "Absolute path information is required (mscorlib)." I am at a
complete, total loss. I don't know the first thing about how to resolve this
issue. I would appreciate any guidance I can get.

Thank you,
Andy Siegel
Dover, DE

Andy Siegel (AndySiegel (AT) discussions (DOT) microsoft.com) writes:
That is because someone told it to. SQL Server never backs up any
databases on its own. Presumably you already have a maintenance plan or
a job that backs up the databases.

Keep in mind that you don't take backups for fun. You take backups to
be able to restore your database in case of a disaster. The first question
to ask is what requirements you have. Do need to be able to restore to
a point in time? Is it OK to restore the most recent backup? If that backup
is bad what do you do?

You say backups are taken to the backup folder. A likely reason to that
you get a database disaster is that your disk is faulty. If backups are
on the same disk, they too may get corrupted.

All and all, I don't think you want to just overwrite the most recent
backup. What if the database breaks while the backup is running?

Yes, you said that your back up to tape. Did you ever test your tape
backup?

Your backup strategy should be a function of your restore stratgy.
Nothing else.

No, you don't. Not on a regular basis. This is entirely contraproductive.
Shrinking a datbase is something you should do only on an exceptional
basis, like when you have permanently deleted a lot of data that never
will return.

You should create your database so there is plenty of space to grow in,
and you should expand it, before it expands itself. Autogrow is better
than a hard stop, because lack of space, but it still can cause a
standstill while the autogrow is running. And shrinking and growing
everyday will lead to a lot of fragmentation.



--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx
SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinf...ons/books.mspx

Thank you. Do you have any idea what is causing me to get the "Absolute
path information is required (mscorlib)." message everytime I try to do the
maintenance plan wizard?

"Erland Sommarskog" wrote:

Andy Siegel (AndySiegel (AT) discussions (DOT) microsoft.com) writes:
No. Sounds like a problem with the installation, maybe. But I never use
the wizard (or maintenance plans).


--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx
SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinf...ons/books.mspx