Copy only backup in SQL servers explained. Have you ever tried doing a quick backup on your SQL server only to realize that you accidentally disrupted your regular backup chain? Let's fix that with copy only backups. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to Ninja one's IT Video Hub for more tech content like this. What is a copy only backup for SQL servers? So what exactly is a copy only backup? Simply put, it's a special type of SQL server backup that doesn't interfere with your standard differential backup sequences. There are two types of copy only backups full and log full copy only backups are snapshots of your entire database, whereas log copy only backups are records of all the changes you've made to your database since the last log, backup pros and cons of copy only backup in SQL servers. Like most tools, copy only backups have their pros and cons. The biggest advantage of using copy only backups in SQL servers is that they have no direct effect on your backup sequence. You can create new backups of your database without disrupting your restore process. The downside, they don't support differential backups. If you wanna make a differential backup of your database, you still have to create a full backup. First three different ways to perform a copy only backup for A SQL server. There are three ways to create a copy only backup. Connect to your SQL server database engine. Right? Click your database and object explorer Task backup. In the dialogue box, select copy only backup. Configure the settings according to your needs. Then click okay. Open a new query window and execute the following command. Open PowerShell and use the script below to perform a copy only backup. And that's how copy only backups in SQL servers work. While they can't replace differential backups, they're definitely useful for creating an isolated snapshot of your database. For more information, check out our official blog post on copy only backups in SQL servers linked in the description below.