BACK UP SQL SERVER TO GOOGLE CLOUD STORAGE
This tutorial walks through backing up SQL Server databases to Google Cloud Storage with SQL Backup Master – from setting up a storage bucket and access keys, through creating and scheduling a backup job, to running it and verifying the results.
Prerequisites
Before starting, you'll need:
- SQL Backup Master installed on a Windows host that can connect to your SQL Server instance.
- A Google Cloud account. If you don't have one yet, visit the Google Cloud Storage homepage, start a free trial or sign up, and complete Google's verification process.
- A SQL Server login (or Windows account) with sufficient permissions to back up your databases.
Step 1: Create a Cloud Storage bucket
Sign in to the Google Cloud console and open the Cloud Storage service. Create a new bucket to hold your database backups – choose a globally unique bucket name, a location close to your servers, and a storage class appropriate for backup data. The console layout changes over time, but bucket creation is always available from the Cloud Storage bucket list.
Step 2: Create access keys
SQL Backup Master authenticates to Google Cloud Storage with an access key and secret key pair (Google calls these HMAC keys, found in the Cloud Storage interoperability settings). Create a key – ideally for a dedicated service account whose permissions are limited to the backup bucket – and record both the access key and the secret, since the secret is only shown at creation time.
Step 3: Create a new backup job
In SQL Backup Master's Backup and Restore window, 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 4: 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 5: Select databases to back up
The Database Backup Editor now lists the databases available on your SQL Server instance under Source. 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 6: Add the Google Cloud Storage destination
In the Destinations section, click the Add icon to open the list of available backup destinations, then double-click Google Cloud Storage. In the Google Cloud Storage Destination Settings window, enter:
- Access key – the access key you created in Step 2.
- Secret key – the matching secret.
- Bucket – the name of the bucket you created in Step 1.
Click Test to verify the connection to Google Cloud Storage, then click OK. Back in the Database Backup Editor, save the backup job settings.
Step 7: 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 8: 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 Google Cloud Storage bucket. When the job completes, review the job log to confirm success, and check the bucket in the Google Cloud console to see the uploaded backup files. If anything goes wrong, the application logs contain detailed troubleshooting information.