The backup and restore is a fundamental task in database management which provides data protection, disaster recovery capabilities and ability to maintain data integrity and availability. The backup and restore is a crucial aspect of database management, which involves creating copies of the database to prevent data losses and to facilitate recovery in case of system failure, data corruption or other unexpected events. In backup and restore window, you can see the following details related to the database which are listed below:

## Backup

Backup is the process of creating copies of a database or specific parts of a database to safeguard the data against various types of data loss including hardware failures, software errors, accidental deletions, and disasters. Backups are a critical component of database management and are essential for data protection. In the backup window, you can see the SQL VSS Writer Service table along with the following details which are listed below:

- Backup Set ID: This refers to a unique identifier associated with a specific set of backup files created during a database backup operation. This identifier is used to group related backup files together and helps in organizing, tracking, and managing backup sets efficiently.
- Backup Set UID: This refers to the unique backup set identification number which is assigned to a backup set that is used to identify a backup set uniquely.
- Expiration Date: This refers to a system-generated date that is associated with a backup set or a backup media set. This date serves as a reference after which a particular database backup is considered obsolete and can be safely deleted as per the retention policy.
- Software Vender ID: This refers to a unique identifier assigned to independent software vendors (ISVs) that develop and distribute software products that work in conjunction with SQL Server.
- Name: This refers to a user-defined label or identifier that can be assigned to a backup set
- Description: This refers to a user-defined text or comment associated with a backup operation.
- User Name: This refers to the user or database principal associated with the backup operation. It indicates the SQL Server login or user account that initiated the backup.
- Software Major Version: This refers to the major version number of the SQL Server software that was used to create the backup.This version number is significant because it indicates which major release of SQL Server was responsible for generating the backup.
- Software Minor Version: This refers to the minor version number or release number of the SQL Server software that was used to create the backup. This number represents a more granular level of version information than the major version and can be important for various reasons.
- Software Build Version: This refers to the specific build number or version identifier associated with the SQL Server software that was used to create the backup.
- Database Creation Date: his refers to the date and time when the database that is being backed up was initially created. This information can be valuable for various purposes, including documentation, auditing, and understanding the history of a database.
- Backup Start Date: This refers to the date and time when a specific backup operation was initiated. It indicates the precise moment when the backup process began.
- Backup Finish Date: This refers to the date and time when a specific backup operation was successfully completed. It indicates the exact moment when the backup process finished.
- Type: This refers to the classification of a backup based on its purpose and characteristics. SQL Server supports several types of backups, each serving a specific role in data protection, recovery, and maintenance.
- Compatibility Level: This refers to a database property that determines how the database behaves in terms of query processing and syntax. It indicates the version of SQL Server with which the database is compatible.
- Database Version: This refers to the version or release of SQL Server with which the database is associated. This version information is important for several reasons, particularly when dealing with database backups.
- Backup Size: This refers to the amount of data that is included in a backup file created by a backup operation. It indicates the volume of data, typically measured in bytes that has been captured and stored in the backup file.
- Backup Name: This refers to the name of the specific database being backed up. It is a crucial piece of information associated with the backup, and understanding the database name is essential for managing, organizing, and restoring backups.
- Serve Name: This refers to the name or network address of the SQL Server instance from which the backup was created.
- Machine Name: This refers to the name of the machine on which the SQL Server instance is hosted.
- Is Readonly: This refers to a property of a database that can be set to indicate whether the database is configured as read-only or not.
- Is Damaged: This refers to a status which indicates that a database or database file within SQL server is corrupted or has experienced some form of data or structural damage.
- Has Incomplete Metadata: This refers to the metadata within the backup file is incomplete or missing critical information required for proper backup and restore operations.
- Is Force Offline: This refers to the database which was backed up while being taken offline using the no-recovery option in SQL server.
- Is Copy Only: This refers to the backup property that indicates that a particular backup is intended for creating a copy of the database without affecting the backup chain or the backup and restore sequence.
- Compressed Backup Size: This refers to the size of a backup file after compression has been applied to reduce its size. It indicates the volume of data in the backup file after it has been compressed to a more compact format.
- Last Valid Restore Time: This refers to the latest point in time to which the backup can be restored and allows a precise recovery to a specific moment in time using backups.