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AWS RDS SQL Server Native Backup
Working with native SQL Server backups in Amazon RDS and the practical considerations for enterprise workloads.
By SeyfertSoft Engineering Team · June 9, 2020
Amazon RDS for SQL Server supports native backup and restore through stored procedures, but there are important differences from managing SQL Server on EC2 or on-premises.
Key considerations include:
- Backup files are stored in S3 and must be configured with the correct options group.
- Native backups capture the database at a point in time and are useful for migration and archival.
- Automated RDS backups and snapshots remain the simplest option for operational recovery.
- Large databases may require chunked uploads and careful planning of maintenance windows.
For enterprise workloads, we recommend a layered backup strategy that combines RDS automated backups, manual snapshots, and native backups for long-term retention or cross-account disaster recovery.