Veeam Explorer
for Microsoft SQL Server

To protect Microsoft SQL Server VMs, you can instruct the backup job to create image-level, VSS-aware VM backups and periodically back up database transaction logs. If Microsoft SQL Server fails, you can restore the Microsoft SQL Server VM from the necessary restore point of the image-level backup. After that, you can use Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server to apply transaction logs and get databases on the Microsoft SQL Server to the necessary state between backups.

1. Veeam Backup & Replication launches the parent backup job by schedule.
2. The parent backup job creates an image-level backup of a Microsoft SQL Server VM and stores it on backup repository.
3. A new session of the transaction log backup starts. Veeam Backup & Replication accesses the VM (directly or via the guest interaction proxy) and installs the runtime components for guest processing, database information collection and transaction log handing on the VM guest OS.
4. Veeam Backup & Replication detects what databases currently exist on the Microsoft SQL Server and maps this data with the information kept in the configuration database. This periodic mapping reveals the databases for which Veeam Backup & Replication must process transaction logs during this time interval. The runtime component backs up transaction log files and stores them as a *.bak file to a temporary folder on the VM guest file system.
5. Veeam Backup & Replication transports transaction log backup copies from the temporary folder on the Microsoft SQL Server VM to the backup repository, either directly or via the log shipping server, and saves them as VLB files. As soon as copies of transaction log backups are saved to the backup repository, transaction log backups in the temporary folder on the Microsoft SQL Server VM are removed.