Why use a backup device vs. backup to disk?

[Jason]

In SQL 2000, is there an advantage to defining and using a backup
device versus just backing up to disk?

Currently, I've got a SQL Backup job set to run once per day, with
transaction log backups running every hour. The db and backups are
written directly to folders on an external disk array. I've never
configured an actual Backup Device within SQL. Does creating a Backup
Device offer any advantages not available with my current backup
method?

Thank you for any help.

Jason

[Erland Sommarskog]

Jason (ja********@yahoo.com) writes:

In SQL 2000, is there an advantage to defining and using a backup
device versus just backing up to disk?

Currently, I've got a SQL Backup job set to run once per day, with
transaction log backups running every hour. The db and backups are
written directly to folders on an external disk array. I've never
configured an actual Backup Device within SQL. Does creating a Backup
Device offer any advantages not available with my current backup
method?

Backup devices are just aliases, as I see it. I don't remember for sure,
but I don't thing that "DISK =<path>" was available when I first started
using Sybase many years ago. In those days, the assumption was also that
your serious backups went to tape directly.

By adding a backup device, you can save some typing.

BACKUP DATABASE db TO DISK = 'C:\backups\longpath\blabla\db.bak'

Can be changed to

BACKUP DATABASE db TO dbbak
--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, es****@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinf...2000/books.asp