BACK UP SQL SERVER TO AZURE BLOB STORAGE
Azure Blob Storage is a natural fit for SQL Server backups – both live in the Microsoft ecosystem, and Azure offers storage tiers designed specifically for infrequently accessed data like backup archives. This tutorial walks through the complete setup with SQL Backup Master, from creating an Azure storage account through running and verifying your first backup.
Prerequisites
Before starting, you'll need:
- SQL Backup Master installed on a Windows host that can connect to your SQL Server instance.
- A Microsoft Azure account. If you don't have one yet, visit the Azure homepage and complete the sign-up process.
- A SQL Server login (or Windows account) with sufficient permissions to back up your databases.
Step 1: Create an Azure storage account
Sign in to the Azure portal and create a storage account (or use an existing one). A standard general-purpose v2 account works well for backups – choose a region close to your servers. Once the account is created, open its Security + networking > Access keys page and note the storage account name and one of the two access keys. SQL Backup Master uses these to authenticate.
You don't need to create a blob container ahead of time – SQL Backup Master will create the container automatically if it doesn't already exist.
Step 2: Create a new backup job
In SQL Backup Master, open the Backup and Restore tab and click New Backup. The Database Backup Editor window will appear – this is where you'll configure the source databases, destination, and schedule for the job.
Step 3: Connect to SQL Server
Click Choose SQL Server to open the SQL Server connection dialog, then enter your SQL Server instance name in the Server name field. For example:
- (local)\SQLExpress – connects to a local SQL Express instance running under the default instance name.
- (local) – connects to a local SQL Server instance with no instance name.
- Server1\SQLExpress – connects to a remote SQL Express instance on a server named Server1.
- Server1 – connects to an unnamed remote SQL Server instance on a server named Server1.
You can also use the server name dropdown to detect available SQL Server instances automatically. Click Test SQL Connection to verify connectivity, then click OK.
Step 4: Select databases to back up
The Database Backup Editor now lists the databases available on your SQL Server instance. Check the boxes next to the databases you'd like to back up. Alternatively, enable the Back up all non-system databases option to have SQL Backup Master automatically include newly created databases in future backup runs.
Step 5: Add the Azure Blob Storage destination
In the Destinations section, click Add to open the list of available backup destinations, then double-click Azure Blob Storage. In the destination settings window, enter:
- Account – your Azure storage account name from Step 1.
- Access key – one of the account's access keys.
- Container – the name of the blob container to hold your backups (created automatically if it doesn't exist).
The remaining settings can typically be left at their defaults. The Endpoint dropdown supports sovereign clouds (Azure China, Germany, and US Government), and the optional Access tier setting lets you store backups in the Hot, Cool, Cold, or Archive tier – see the Azure Blob Storage destination help for guidance before changing it.
Click Test to verify the connection to Azure, then click OK. Back in the Database Backup Editor, click the Save icon to store the backup job settings.
Step 6: Schedule the backup job
To run backups automatically, configure a recurring schedule for the job – for example, a nightly full backup. Scheduled jobs run unattended through the SQL Backup Master service, so no one needs to be logged in. You can skip this step if you only want to run backups manually.
Step 7: Run and verify the backup
In the main SQL Backup Master window, locate the backup job you just created and click Back up now. SQL Backup Master will back up the selected databases and upload the results to your Azure blob container. When the job completes, review the job log to confirm success, and browse the container in the Azure portal to see the uploaded backup files. If anything goes wrong, the application logs contain detailed troubleshooting information.