Velocity for SQL Server

SQL Server backup software for Windows

Schedule full, differential and incremental SQL Server backups, including on SQL Server Express, and send every backup to a local folder, FTP/FTPS or Google Drive. Failed runs retry on their own, and restores never overwrite a live database.

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What Velocity does for SQL Server

Any edition, including Express

Velocity runs its own scheduler, so SQL Server Express gets scheduled backups without SQL Server Agent.

One, several or all databases

Test the connection, tick the databases, and protect them in a single job.

Full, differential, incremental

Pick the backup type per job to balance storage against restore steps.

Local, FTP/FTPS, Google Drive

Save destinations once and reuse them. Send one job to several places.

Runs unattended

Daily, weekly, monthly or Nth-weekday schedules run through a Windows service with the app closed.

Retries and email

Automatic retries on a delay sequence such as 1, 5 and 15 minutes, and an email after each backup.

Safe restore

If the database name already exists, Velocity restores under a new, date-stamped name.

Logs you can hand over

Every run is logged per job and per execution, with export to Excel.

Why not just use SQL Agent or a script?

You can, and our guides show how. The trouble is what happens around the backup: copying it off the server, noticing when it fails, retrying, cleaning up old files, and restoring without overwriting production. Each is another script to write and maintain. Velocity does all of it in one job. The honest comparison sets out when each approach makes sense.

Set up a SQL Server backup job

Create a backup job and choose Database as the source.
Connect to SQL Server, test the connection and select the databases.
Choose the backup type: full, differential or incremental.
Add destinations: this PC or a connected drive, FTP/FTPS, Google Drive, or several.
Set the schedule and turn on email after backup. The background service takes it from there.

Good fits

Small businesses running an accounting, ERP or line-of-business application on SQL Server, often Express, without a full-time DBA.
IT administrators who want local and off-site copies from one place, with a log to show it happened.
IT partners and MSPs looking after client servers, with Velocity licensed on each server.

Guides and free tools

How to schedule automatic SQL Server Express backupsSQL Server Express has no SQL Agent. Schedule automatic backups with a T-SQL script, sqlcmd and Windows Task Scheduler, add cleanup, and verify every run. How to back up SQL Server to Google Drive automaticallyThree ways to send SQL Server backups to Google Drive automatically: Drive for desktop, rclone with Task Scheduler, or a tool with a Drive destination. How to back up SQL Server to an FTP or FTPS serverCopy SQL Server backups to an off-site FTP or FTPS server on a schedule using WinSCP scripting, with transfer checks and why FTPS beats plain FTP. How to restore a SQL Server database from a .bak fileRestore a SQL Server .bak file with SSMS or T-SQL: restore under a new name, move data files, and apply differential and log backups in order. SQL Server backup failed: causes and fixesWhy a SQL Server backup failed: permissions, missing paths, disk space, database state, network shares and log chain errors, with the fix for each. SQL Server backup script generatorGenerate a ready-to-run SQL Server backup script, batch file, Task Scheduler command and cleanup script. Free, runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.

SQL Server backup questions

Does Velocity work with SQL Server Express?

Yes. SQL Server Express has no SQL Server Agent, so it cannot schedule its own backups. Velocity schedules them through its own Windows service, so Express databases get the same scheduled backups as Standard or Enterprise.

Can I back up several databases in one job?

Yes. A backup job can protect one database, several databases, or all selected databases on the SQL Server instance.

Which backup types are supported?

Full, differential and incremental. Choose the type per backup job to balance storage use and restore steps.

Where can SQL Server backups be stored?

In a folder on the Velocity computer or a connected drive, on an FTP/FTPS server, or in Google Drive. One job can send backups to more than one destination, for example local plus off-site.

What happens if a backup fails?

Velocity retries automatically after a short wait using a configurable delay sequence, such as 1, 5 and 15 minutes. It can also email you after each backup, and every run is logged.

Will restoring overwrite my live database?

No. If a database with the same name already exists, Velocity restores the backup under a new, date-stamped name instead of replacing the existing database.

Does the Velocity window need to stay open?

No. Scheduled jobs run through a background Windows service, even when the Velocity app is closed, as long as the computer is on at the scheduled time.

Back up your SQL Server tonight.

Install the trial, create one job, and let it run on schedule.

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