Removing Old SQL Database Backups

To ensure the safety of your SOLIDWORKS PDM data, it’s essential to have a maintenance plan in place to perform regular (preferably nightly) backups of the vault database and the ConisioMasterDB database.  A Maintenance Plan that will automatically backup the databases can be set up for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional using the SQL Server Agent included in Microsoft SQL Standard.

Note: SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard does NOT  include the SQL Server Agent so this method does not work for PDM Standard vaults.

However over time those backups will take up a great deal of hard drive space if they are not cleaned up and removed.  This process can also be automated by the SQL Server Agent.

Steps to removing Old SQL Database Backups

Step 1:  Ensure that the SQL Server Agent service is running.  Launch the SQL Server Configuration Manager program and check that the SQL Server Agent is currently running, if it isn’t right click the Agent and click Start.

SQL Server Configuration Manager

Step 2:  Log into the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and expand the Management folder in the Object Explorer then right click on the Maintenance Plans folder and select the Maintenance Plan Wizard command.

Maintenance Plan Wizard command

Step 3:  When the Wizard launches the starting page explains further what functions can be automated using the Maintenance Plan.  Click Next.

Wizard starting page

Step 4:  Name the maintenance plan, the click Change to create a schedule for the plan to run on.

Name the maintenance plan

Step 5:  You can run the plan Daily, Weekly or Monthly at whichever time will work for you.  If you already have a Maintenance Plan in place to perform the backups, you may want to schedule the Cleanup to take place on the same schedule.  Click OK to set the schedule, then click Next.

Run the plan Daily, Weekly or Monthly

Step 6:  Select the Maintenance Cleanup Task option and click Next.

Maintenance Cleanup Task

Step 7:  On the Task Order screen ensure that the Maintenance Cleanup Task is listed, otherwise go back a step and select it again, then click Next.

Maintenance Cleanup Task Enabled

Step 8:  Define the options for the Cleanup Task. Click “…” to specify the folder where the SQL Database backup files are being saved.  Specify the Age of the files which should be removed by the task.  If backups are being done daily for instance, setting the Cleanup Task to remove any files over 14 days old will keep only 14 .bak files from each database being backed up.  Once the options are set, click Next.

Define the options for the Cleanup Task

Step 9:  If you wish you can set up a report text file, then click Next.

Set up a report text file

Step 10:  Finally, review settings and click Finish to complete the Maintenance Plan Wizard.

Complete the Maintenance Plan Wizard