No SQL data backed up - using 11d only

[Alan_Terrill]

I've been using 11d to backup my servers including two SQl databases, but I've just noticed that although thare are no error messages, no actual data is being backed up. I've got the whole sql data directory ticked, but the vital .mdf and .ldf files are just completley ignored -they just don't appear on the restore. I'm not using the additional SQL agent - I enquired but was told that this wasn't necessary for a basic backup, only if I wanted to do continuous or incremental backups. Is this right, and if so, what should I be doing to ensure SQL data is backed up?

(I just tried stopping the SQL service, then backing up, and it worked -so if this is necessary, shouldn't backup exec be sending a signal to turn it off?)  

[Anup]

You need a sql agent to backup sql online.

It will not get backed up through file sytem level. SQL database files are locked by sql service , so they will be skipped by backup job.

If you dont want to purchase SQL agent ,You can use pre and post command in backupexec to stop the sql services before taking backup. 

Please refer to below link 

http://www.backupexecfaq.com/articles/concepts/backing-up-microsoft-sql-server.html 

[Alan_Terrill]

Thankyou -that's very helpful. But if I've selected those SQL files, why doesn't backup exec give me a message to say it was unable to back them up. If I select, say an access file, for backup and it is left open on someone's PC, then it will send a message telling me it was unable to backup the file. However, I've been backing up SQL files for some months, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being ignored, as each morning it tells me the backup completed and was verified, and I wasn't aware of the missing files until I tried to do a restore. This is very worrying and makes me wonder what other data types may not be being backed up. A search on help for SQL in backup exec makes no mention of this.

[Alan_Terrill]

I've found an answer on another part of the forum -see  https://forums.symantec.com/syment/board/message?board.id=be11dCore&thread.id=200