Backup Exec 2016 versus 2010 - why can't you make a copy of a selection list to apply to a new job?

[citybett1]

Ok, I've been using Backup Exec 2010 (and many prior versions over the years) and just upgraded to Backup Exec 16.   Unless I am missing something, why is there no option to make a copy of a "selection list" of items into a new job that can be modified?   In Backup Exec 2016 I have spent quite awhile creating a backup job that backs up items from 10+ servers, each server different items ( on some servers just shares, on some servers the SQL servers only, etc....).    

Now, I have a need for a second job with a very similar list of selections, but slightly different.  I cannot seem to find an option to create a second backup job using the selection list from the first job as a starting point.   Is this really how it's supposed to work, that I have to through and hand select all of the selections again from 10+ servers to create a second job with the same items as the first job?   

In Backup Exec 2010 it was very easy to take the existing selection list, make a copy of it, apply it to a new job, and then make modifications to the selections on the new job.   I cannot find any way to do this in Backup Exec 2016.  This seems to be a huge downgrade in functionality with Backup Exec 2016 compared to 2010 and older versions, unless I'm missing something......    

[CraigV]

I think this was removed in BE 2012...maybe PM Colin Weaver and confirm.

[Colin_Weaver]

Whilst I  am,  not 100% sure, I think this was probably done due to not wanting to allow multiple incremental/differential/full job sequences to use the same selections as this causes issues with both the catalog chains and the media retention (DLM) chains with a worst case (but not only) scenario of inability to restore specific data. Hence selection lists are no longer explosed as separate entitites within the Admin Console and therefore cannot be re-used or duplicated.

Part of the ethos of the design changes introduced with BE 2012 (and enhanced with each release since) was to block backup admins from making choices within the consoe that could result in an inability to restore.

[citybett1]

Thanks for the responses guys, I appreciate it.  I can't understand why duplicating selection lists would cause restore issues, but I won't pretend to understand the innerworkings of BackupExec either.  I would think that whatever got backed up and cataloged would be available to restore regardless of whatever selection list caused the data to be backed up in the first place.

I figured that not allowing the user to duplicate a selection list was mainly an oversight with the reintroduction of job based backups (versus the trainwreck that Backup Exec 2012 was with one job per server).

Anyway, it would be extremely helpful if Veritas could re-add an option to "copy" a selection list to start with as a base for a new job.