Not all Sharepoint databases are grayed out beneath the SQL agent selections

Problem

When viewing the SQL databases available for backup for a SQL server instance used to house Sharepoint SQL databases, not all databases are grayed out and unavailable for selection.  Which databases should be selected beneath the SQL agent selections in order to fully protect the Sharepoint and SQL environments?

Solution

The Backup Exec Sharepoint Agent, in communicating with Sharepoint will enumerate and back up nearly all the resources that comprise a Sharepoint environment.  Selecting the Sharepoint Farm or Server at the top level will allow 'Dynamic Inclusion' where newly added resources are automatically added to backups.  In addition to backing up all resources beneath the Sharepoint resource selection additional resources should be selected for backup with other agents in order to fully protect the entire Sharepoint farm environment.

First, regular backups of all Server file systems and System States should be performed.  This will protect the server Operating System files as well as Sharepoint program files and settings and will allow for a streamlined restore without requiring reinstallation if a disaster recovery is necessary.  Note that Sharepoint files that are protected by the Sharepoint agent are automatically excluded from the file system backup.  This includes Sharepoint Index files and Sharepoint SQL database files.

Second, regular backups of all SQL databases not protected by the Sharepoint agent should be performed using the Backup Exec SQL Agent. By selecting the SQL server instance at the top level, again Dynamic Inclusion will be enabled and all databases present other than those protected by the Sharepoint Agent will be protected.  This will include the SQL system databases like Master, Model, and MSDB as well as Sharepoint databases not protected by the Sharepoint agent such as the WSS_Logging and Application_Registry_Service_DB databases as well as any user-created databases.  Note that as above, databases protected by the Sharepoint agent are automatically excluded by the SQL agent backup.

By following these guidelines for protecting all resources in the Sharepoint server environment in the event of a disaster recovery scenario, all data can be brought online with a minimal amount of trouble.

Applies To

This article is applicable for all supported versions of Sharepoint: