Simple script to backup all SQL Server databases

Problem

Sometimes things that seem complicated are much easier then you think and this is the power of using T-SQL to take care of repetitive tasks.  One of these tasks may be the need to backup all databases on your server.   This is not a big deal if you have a handful of databases, but I have seen several servers where there are 100+ databases on the same instance of SQL Server.  You could use SQL Server Management Studio to backup the databases or even use Maintenance Plans, but using T-SQL is a much simpler and faster approach.

Solution

With the use of T-SQL you can generate your backup commands and with the use of cursors you can cursor through all of your databases to back them up one by one.  This is a very straight forward process and you only need a handful of commands to do this. 
Here is the script that will allow you to backup each database within your instance of SQL Server.  You will need to change the @path to the appropriate backup directory.

This post covers two topics --  First, it is a very simple method to backup all of the user databases. Secondly, it is an example of a cursor.  I typically stay away from cursors within any real data manipulations, but I don't mind using them for simple functions such as this. The tSQL is a very simple BACKUP command, and the cursor just allows us to walk through all of the databases with that command, very quickly and very efficiently.  

/*

Use cursor to backup all user databases.  */

DECLARE 

@DBName VARCHAR(25),   -- database name  

@BkupPath VARCHAR(255),   -- the path for backup files  

@BkupFileName VARCHAR(255),   -- the backup filename

@FileDate VARCHAR(10)   -- to put date into filename

 

-- Where is the backup directory?

SET @BkupPath = 'C:\MSSQL\Backup\'  

 

-- Construct the BkupFileName

SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),112) 

 

-- Declare your cursor

DECLARE DBCursor CURSOR FOR  

SELECT name 

FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases 

WHERE name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb')  -- exclude the system databases

 

-- Open your cursor

OPEN DBCursor   

FETCH NEXT FROM DBCursor INTO @DBName   

 

WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0   

BEGIN   

   SET @BkupFileName = @BkupPath + @DBName + '_' + @FileDate + '.BAK'  

   BACKUP DATABASE @DBName TO DISK = @BkupFileName  

 

   FETCH NEXT FROM DBCursor INTO @DBName   

END   

 

-- Close your cursor

CLOSE DBCursor   

DEALLOCATE DBCursor

Note, you can revise the resulting .bak filename, if you'd like something different than 'DatabaseName_YYYYMMDD.bak'.  Also note the WHERE clause on the cursor declaration. You could adjust this to IN or NOT IN, and customize the database list to whatever databases you'd like to target.  This is the clause that I used in my test:     WHERE name IN ('master','model','msdb')

And this is my output:

Take a look at that run time.  All three sys dbs backed up to in 5 seconds.  Not bad.

That's pretty much it.  Like I said, you should modify that WHERE clause to suit your needs.  This is a very flexible, easily customized routine for backing up multiple databases via cursor. 

File Naming Format DBname_YYYYDDMM.BAK

DECLARE @name VARCHAR(50) -- database name  
DECLARE @path VARCHAR(256) -- path for backup files  
DECLARE @fileName VARCHAR(256) -- filename for backup  
DECLARE @fileDate VARCHAR(20) -- used for file name

 
-- specify database backup directory
SET @path = 'C:\Backup\'  

 
-- specify filename format
SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),112) 

 
DECLARE db_cursor CURSOR FOR  
SELECT name 
FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases 
WHERE name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb')  -- exclude these databases

 
OPEN db_cursor   
FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name   

 
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0   
BEGIN   
       SET @fileName = @path + @name + '_' + @fileDate + '.BAK'  
       BACKUP DATABASE @name TO DISK = @fileName  

 
       FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name   
END   

 
CLOSE db_cursor   
DEALLOCATE db_cursor

or

Here is an update to the script to also include the time in the filename.

DECLARE @name VARCHAR(50) -- database name 
DECLARE @path VARCHAR(256) -- path for backup files 
DECLARE @fileName VARCHAR(256) -- filename for backup 
DECLARE @fileDate VARCHAR(20) -- used for file name

SET @path = 'C:\'

SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),112) + '_' + REPLACE(CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),108),':','')

DECLARE db_cursor CURSOR FOR

SELECT name 
FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases 
WHERE name IN ('test5')

OPEN db_cursor

FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name

WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN

SET @fileName = @path + @name + '_' + @fileDate + '.BAK' 
BACKUP DATABASE @name TO DISK = @fileName 
FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name
END

CLOSE db_cursor

DEALLOCATE db_cursor

or

without cursors.

DECLARE @name VARCHAR(50) -- database name 
DECLARE @path VARCHAR(256) -- path for backup files 
DECLARE @fileName NVARCHAR(256) -- filename for backup 
DECLARE @fileDate VARCHAR(20) -- used for file name
 
SET @path = 'd:\Backup\' 
SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),112)
SELECT name,flag=0 into #tempbackup FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases WHERE name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb')
set rowcount 1
WHILE (exists(SELECT * FROM #tempbackup WHERE flag=0))
 BEGIN 
       Select @name=name from #tempbackup WHERE flag=0
       SET @fileName = @path + @name + '_' + @fileDate + '.BAK' 
       BACKUP DATABASE @name TO DISK = @fileName        
       Update #tempbackup set flag=1 WHERE flag=0
 END  
set rowcount 0
drop table #tempbackup
 

File Naming Format DBname_YYYYDDMM_HHMMSS.BAK

If you want to also include the time in the filename you can replace this line in the above script:

-- specify filename format
SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),112)

with this line:

-- specify filename format
SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),112) + REPLACE(CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),108),':','')

Notes

In this script we are bypassing the system databases, but these could easily be included as well.  You could also change this into a stored procedure and pass in a database name or if left NULL it backups all databases.  Any way you choose to use it, this script gives you the starting point to simply backup all of your databases.
Also, if you wanted to bypass some of your user databases you can include them in the NOT IN section as well.

Get the SQL Server Logins ( ORPHAN Users) Best Script

We do have a requirement for server migration. Following Script can help DBA to generate a Script for existing SQL Server logins.

The Output of this script can be executed on another server, which will create all the logins, which were there in old server (where this Script was executed)

SCRIPT to generate SQL Server Logins

-- ***********************************************************************************/
-- Description  :    Script to create SQL Server logins 
--                        This Script will create SQL syntax for re-creating existing SQL Server Logins. The OUTPUT of this script will be a TSQL statement, which can used to recreate the logins.
--                            We can also use use this script to transfer logins from one SQL instance to another instance
-- Compatibility  :     2005+
-- ***********************************************************************************/

USE master
GO
IF OBJECT_ID ('sp_hexadecimal') IS NOT NULL
  DROP PROCEDURE sp_hexadecimal
GO
CREATE PROCEDURE sp_hexadecimal
    @binvalue varbinary(256),
    @hexvalue varchar(256) OUTPUT
AS
DECLARE @charvalue varchar(256)
DECLARE @i int
DECLARE @length int
DECLARE @hexstring char(16)
SELECT @charvalue = '0x'
SELECT @i = 1
SELECT @length = DATALENGTH (@binvalue)
SELECT @hexstring = '0123456789ABCDEF'
WHILE (@i <= @length)
BEGIN
  DECLARE @tempint int
  DECLARE @firstint int
  DECLARE @secondint int
  SELECT @tempint = CONVERT(int, SUBSTRING(@binvalue,@i,1))
  SELECT @firstint = FLOOR(@tempint/16)
  SELECT @secondint = @tempint - (@firstint*16)
  SELECT @charvalue = @charvalue +
    SUBSTRING(@hexstring, @firstint+1, 1) +
    SUBSTRING(@hexstring, @secondint+1, 1)
  SELECT @i = @i + 1
END
SELECT @hexvalue = @charvalue
GO
 
IF OBJECT_ID ('sp_help_revlogin') IS NOT NULL
  DROP PROCEDURE sp_help_revlogin
GO
CREATE PROCEDURE sp_help_revlogin @login_name sysname = NULL AS
DECLARE @name sysname
DECLARE @type varchar (1)
DECLARE @hasaccess int
DECLARE @denylogin int
DECLARE @is_disabled int
DECLARE @PWD_varbinary  varbinary (256)
DECLARE @PWD_string  sysname
DECLARE @SID_varbinary varbinary (85)
DECLARE @SID_string varchar (256)
DECLARE @tmpstr  varchar (1024)
DECLARE @is_policy_checked varchar (3)
DECLARE @is_expiration_checked varchar (3)
 
IF (@login_name IS NULL)
  DECLARE login_curs CURSOR FOR
            SELECT p.sid, p.name, p.type, p.is_disabled, l.hasaccess, l.denylogin FROM sys.server_principals p LEFT JOIN sys.syslogins l
            ON ( l.name = p.name ) WHERE p.type IN ( 'S', 'G', 'U' ) AND p.name <> 'sa'
ELSE
  DECLARE login_curs CURSOR FOR
            SELECT p.sid, p.name, p.type, p.is_disabled, l.hasaccess, l.denylogin FROM sys.server_principals p LEFT JOIN sys.syslogins l
            ON ( l.name = p.name ) WHERE p.type IN ( 'S', 'G', 'U' ) AND p.name = @login_name
OPEN login_curs
FETCH NEXT FROM login_curs INTO @SID_varbinary, @name, @type, @is_disabled, @hasaccess, @denylogin
IF (@@fetch_status = -1)
BEGIN
  PRINT 'No login(s) found.'
  CLOSE login_curs
  DEALLOCATE login_curs
  RETURN -1
END
SET @tmpstr = '/* sp_help_revlogin script '
PRINT @tmpstr
SET @tmpstr = '** Generated ' + CONVERT (varchar, GETDATE()) + ' on ' + @@SERVERNAME + ' */'
PRINT @tmpstr
PRINT ''
WHILE (@@fetch_status <> -1)
BEGIN
  IF (@@fetch_status <> -2)
  BEGIN
    PRINT ''
    SET @tmpstr = '-- Login: ' + @name
    PRINT @tmpstr
    IF (@type IN ( 'G', 'U'))
    BEGIN -- NT authenticated account/group
      SET @tmpstr = 'CREATE LOGIN ' + QUOTENAME( @name ) + ' FROM WINDOWS'
    END
    ELSE BEGIN -- SQL Server authentication
        -- obtain password and sid
                        SET @PWD_varbinary = CAST( LOGINPROPERTY( @name, 'PasswordHash' ) AS varbinary (256) )
        EXEC sp_hexadecimal @PWD_varbinary, @PWD_string OUT
        EXEC sp_hexadecimal @SID_varbinary,@SID_string OUT
 
        -- obtain password policy state
        SELECT @is_policy_checked = CASE is_policy_checked WHEN 1 THEN 'ON' WHEN 0 THEN 'OFF' ELSE NULL END FROM sys.sql_logins WHERE name = @name
        SELECT @is_expiration_checked = CASE is_expiration_checked WHEN 1 THEN 'ON' WHEN 0 THEN 'OFF' ELSE NULL END FROM sys.sql_logins WHERE name = @name
 
                        SET @tmpstr = 'CREATE LOGIN ' + QUOTENAME( @name ) + ' WITH PASSWORD = ' + @PWD_string + ' HASHED, SID = ' + @SID_string
 
        IF ( @is_policy_checked IS NOT NULL )
        BEGIN
          SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + ', CHECK_POLICY = ' + @is_policy_checked
        END
        IF ( @is_expiration_checked IS NOT NULL )
        BEGIN
          SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + ', CHECK_EXPIRATION = ' + @is_expiration_checked
        END
    END
    IF (@denylogin = 1)
    BEGIN -- login is denied access
      SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + '; DENY CONNECT SQL TO ' + QUOTENAME( @name )
    END
    ELSE IF (@hasaccess = 0)
    BEGIN -- login has exists but does not have access
      SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + '; REVOKE CONNECT SQL TO ' + QUOTENAME( @name )
    END
    IF (@is_disabled = 1)
    BEGIN -- login is disabled
      SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + '; ALTER LOGIN ' + QUOTENAME( @name ) + ' DISABLE'
    END
    PRINT @tmpstr
  END
  FETCH NEXT FROM login_curs INTO @SID_varbinary, @name, @type, @is_disabled, @hasaccess, @denylogin
  END
CLOSE login_curs
DEALLOCATE login_curs
RETURN 0
GO
exec sp_help_revlogin

OUTPUT