---
title: "How-to Create a Protection Job for SQL Servers"
slug: "how-to-create-a-protection-job-for-sql-servers"
updated: 2023-12-18T11:22:46Z
published: 2023-12-18T11:22:46Z
canonical: "kb.expedient.com/how-to-create-a-protection-job-for-sql-servers"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.expedient.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How-to Create a Protection Job for SQL Servers

### Introduction

Expedient Service Delivery staff will perform a base configuration of a Protection Job inside the Cloud Data Protection platform. To create your own Protection Job for SQL Servers, follow the below procedure.

### **Prerequisite**

If the standard protection policies don’t match your needs, open a ticket with the OSC and a customized policy will be created to your specifications.

### Procedure

1. [Log in](/v1/docs/how-to-access-cloud-data-protection) to the respective Cloud Data Protection system.
2. Ensure you have [installed the Cohesity Helper App](/v1/docs/how-to-install-the-cohesity-helper-app-windows).
3. Ensure you have [registered the SQL server](/v1/docs/how-to-register-a-ms-sql-server).
4. You should be directed to the **Protection Jobs** page upon logging into the cluster.
5. If you are not automatically directed to this page or are on a different page, from the navigation bar at the top of the page, select the **Protection** → **Protection Jobs** tab.  
  
![](https://cdn.document360.io/69e9f9c7-5da8-45e7-a671-4b8287f36122/Images/Documentation/image-1612983006291.png)
6. Use the + menu at the top right and select **MS SQL Server.** **![](https://cdn.document360.io/69e9f9c7-5da8-45e7-a671-4b8287f36122/Images/Documentation/image-1612983006341.png)**
7. Provide a name for the Protection Job, and select the required **Source** by using the drop-down and selecting **SQL Servers.**
8. Utilize the menu to select the servers to add to the protection job
  - Select the **Auto-Protect** **Shield** to auto-protect an entire SQL server
    - This is the recommended protection configuration. Auto-Protect will dynamically add and remove DBs from the backup policy based on their existence on the SQL server. This drastically lowers the management overhead of removing or adding backups and can protect against forgetting to start backups on a new DB.
  - Select **Add** to add the VMs to the Protection Job
9. Utilize the drop-down menu to specify the Protection Policy
  - Note that Expedient manages Protection Policies. If you need modifications to a Protection Policy, please open a ticket with the OSC
10. Utilize the drop-down menu to specify the **Storage Domain**. If there are multiple options, always select the one that ends in **_DP** to ensure you are utilizing the correct space
11. The **Advanced** section allows you to modify additional Protection Job settings

| **Backup Method** | Utilize the default **Volume-based** method For SQL instances that contain 35 or more databases, please configure the Backup Method as either File or VDI-based. |
| --- | --- |
| **Copy-only** | Modify this configuration if full backups should not truncate logs |
| **Databases to Backup** | Utilize this option to set any desired DB backup preferences |
| **End Date** | Utilize this setting if you wish to stop backups by a certain date automatically |
| **QoS** | Utilize the default **Backup HDD** for best performance |
| **Scripts** | Utilize this setting to define and pre or post scripts |
| **Incremental after Restart** | Utilize this setting to specify an incremental backup to run after a restart |
| **Indexing** | Utilize this setting to modify what the platform indexes for recovery |
| **Alerts** | Utilize this setting if you wish to modify defaults |
| **SLA** | Utilize this setting if you wish to set an SLA flag manually |

1. Select **Protect** to save your configurations.
2. Check any other VM protection jobs to ensure the SQL server is excluded and, if necessary, [exclude the SQL server](/v1/docs/how-to-remove-or-exclude-a-vms-from-backups).
  - The SQL job will also protect the entire VM, so any additional jobs are unnecessary and could cause performance issues on your SQL server.