Define a Logical Backup Device for a Disk File (SQL Server)

Article
03/03/2023

Applies to: SQL Server

This topic describes how to define a logical backup device for a disk file in SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL. A logical device is a user-defined name that points to a specific physical backup device (a disk file or tape drive). The initialization of the physical device occurs later, when a backup is written to the backup device.

In This Topic

Before you begin:

Limitations and Restrictions

Recommendations

Security
To define a logical backup device for a disk file, using:

SQL Server Management Studio

Transact-SQL

Before You Begin

Limitations and Restrictions

The logical device name must be unique among all the logical backup devices on the server instance. To view the existing logical device names, query the sys.backup_devices catalog view.

Recommendations

We recommend that a backup disk be a different disk than the database data and log disks. This is necessary to make sure that you can access the backups if the data or log disk fails.

Security

Permissions

Requires membership in the diskadmin fixed server role.

Requires permission to write to the disk.

Using SQL Server Management Studio

To define a logical backup device for a disk file

After connecting to the appropriate instance of the Microsoft SQL Server Database Engine, in Object Explorer, click the server name to expand the server tree.
Expand Server Objects, and right-click Backup Devices.
Click New Backup Device. The Backup Device dialog box opens.
Enter a device name.
For the destination, click File and specify the full path of the file.
To define the new device, click OK.

To back up to this new device, add it to the Back up to: field in the Back up Database (General) dialog box. For more information, see Create a Full Database Backup (SQL Server).

Using Transact-SQL

To define a logical backup for a disk file

Connect to the Database Engine.
From the Standard bar, click New Query.
Copy and paste the following example into the query window and click Execute. This example shows how to use sp_addumpdevice to define a logical backup device for a disk file. The example adds the disk backup device named mydiskdump, with the physical name c:\dump\dump1.bak.

USE AdventureWorks2022;  
GO  
EXEC sp_addumpdevice 'disk', 'mydiskdump', 'c:\dump\dump1.bak' ;  
GO

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