SQL Backup 5.0 is a major upgrade including a complete redesign of the user interface.

What’s new in 5.0?

• Complete redesign of the UI including a timeline feature for monitoring past backup activity and future backup jobs
• Integrated support for clusters
• Reporting across multiple servers using a central reporting database
• New keywords THREADCOUNT (to get improved performance using multiple threads to write to a single file) and FILECOUNT
• Support for RESTRICTED_USER, STOPATMARK, STOPBEFOREMARK
• Support for Microsoft® Windows® Vista
• Improved scheduled job management including being able to start, stop and delete jobs from within SQL Backup
• Browsing network shares
• Lots more…

It’s the timeline which is in my opinion the most notable feature to differentiate SQL Backup from the competition. It allows DBA’s to monitor past backup activity across multiple servers but also to see the backup jobs scheduled to run in the future. Being able to visualise backup history and predicted backups on the timeline makes planning a backup strategy and preventing backup failures much easier.

To download SQL Backup 5 (14 day trial) and to see a demo video of the timeline (and a demo of how to backup and restore a database) go to the SQL Backup Help Center.

Along with the major features there are some lovely touches which will improve the user’s experience when backing up a database. The compression analyzer will sample a database using all 3 compression levels to estimate how big the resulting backup file will be using each of the options. There are also hints available at appropriate points in the application to give contextual information about particular functionality. Look out for the different splash screens too.