SQL Agent, Multiple DB's, Policies and Schedules - Help!!!

[Craigbo]

Soooo the problem I am facing is that our DBA's requested that we use seperate policies for each DB and that involve's creating close to 400 Policies.

The main issue i am challenged with is how not to duplicate the 400 policies for each schedule i require, Daily, Weekly and Monthly schedules.

Is there a way I can have one policy with 4 Schedules, for example:

Daily_Full - Automatic Backup, runs everyday

Daily - Application Backup, runs everyday with a retention of 1 week

Weekly - Application Backup, runs on Sat and Sun with a retention of 5 weeks

Monthly - Application Backup, runs once a month on a Sat & Sun with a retention of 5 years

If i use NBSCHED "Daily" in the SQL .bch script it will call the Daily - Application backup but is there any way to be able to have the different schedules called using one policy if you get where i am going with this.

Otherwise i have to create close to 1200 policies in order to get all the DB's and their schedules backed up correctly!!!

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Short answer, using standard NetBackup, No.

I did a work around for another user, for Oracle, the other day but I don't think it will work for SQL. Will check what is passed to the script to see if you can build intelligence into it.

EDIT: There is a keyword in the bch called NBSCHED that you could possibly use to tell it which APP Schedule to use. The problem is you'll have to build logic into the BCH to tell it when to do it. And I don't know how this file is executed. For Oracle you can use regular IF statements but I'm not sure about SQL.

[RiaanBadenhorst · Accepted solution]

Well low and behold, I found it. Sorta like the dilemma with the US spending millions to create a pen that would work in zero gravity and the Russians simply opting for a pencil.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH90544

It solves the issue with daily / weekly but you might still run into issues with monthly.

[Craigbo]

Think i also found a way to add the monthly's into the same policy as the daily and weekly's.

If i use the calendar schedule type and exlcude the weekly from the weekend the monthly is supposed to run it should work. Let me give it a bash and see, i will post the update on success or not.

[Craigbo]

Thanks a million Riaan. Hats off to your search skills, far superior to mine.

This will do just fine, i might just have to create another policy for Monthly's but thats fine.

Although, if i use the calendar schedule type and exclude the weekly and monthly's that should work, I will post an update if it works.

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Give it shot and report back, this has always been an issue.....