ERP Database Backup Checklist
Most ERP outages that become disasters are not caused by the failure itself but by a backup that was missing, corrupted, encrypted by malware or never tested. This checklist covers the full chain from scope to restore proof.
0 of 27 items complete
10 critical items still open - these are the highest-risk gaps.
Scope and schedule
Storage and protection
Retention and compliance
Restore testing and monitoring
A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a backup. Treat every critical item as pass or fail.
Recovery readiness review
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How to use the checklist
Walk through each group with the person who owns the backups and the person who would restore them; they are often different people. Tick items you can prove, not items you believe. Export the result to PDF or Excel for your audit file. Anything you cannot tick becomes a dated action with an owner. Repeat after any significant change, and at least twice a year.
RPO, RTO and what they decide
Recovery point objective is how much data you can afford to lose, for example 15 minutes of transactions. It sets how often you take log backups. Recovery time objective is how long the business can be without the ERP, and it sets the restore method and hardware. A plant that ships daily may accept an hour of lost data; one with real time shop floor reporting may not. Write both numbers down and test against them, because backup frequency alone does not guarantee either.
- RPO drives backup frequency
- RTO drives restore design and bandwidth
- Both must be agreed with the business, not set by IT alone
Beyond the database
An ERP is more than its main database. Attachments, custom reports, integration middleware, EDI maps, license files, certificates and configuration all matter during recovery. Cloud and hosted ERPs shift some of this to the vendor, but you still need to know their retention, restore request process and your own exports. Check the contract rather than assuming. For on-premises air-gapped sites, plan for offline media and a documented transport process.
Common mistakes
Keeping backups on the same SAN or hypervisor as production means one failure takes both. Backup jobs that succeed while backing up an empty or wrong database are common after migrations. Encryption keys stored only on the encrypted server make recovery impossible. Using the same admin credentials for backup storage as for production lets ransomware delete backups. Never testing is the most frequent and most costly error.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I test an ERP restore?
At least quarterly for the main database, plus after major changes, with a full restore to a separate server and a business check of the data. Annual tests are too rare to catch silent corruption or missing components.
What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?
Keep three copies of your data, on two different types of media, with one copy offsite. Many teams now add an immutable or offline copy to survive ransomware, sometimes called 3-2-1-1.
Do I need log backups for my ERP database?
If the database uses the FULL recovery model and you need point in time recovery, yes. Without log backups the log grows without bound. If you accept restoring to the last full backup, SIMPLE recovery may be fine, but decide deliberately.
Does a cloud ERP still need my own backups?
Check what the vendor covers. Many provide platform recovery but not recovery from your own mistakes such as a bad import. Regular exports of key data and configuration give you an independent copy.
If you want help designing an on-premises recovery plan for ERP and the AI or reporting layers around it, we can work through it with your team.
Related Tools
ERP Database Restore Time and RTO Calculator
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ERP OperationsSQL Server Index Maintenance Checklist for ERP Databases
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ERP Migration & SelectionBackup Storage Cost Calculator
Estimate monthly and annual backup storage cost accounting for data growth, retention period, deduplication ratio, and storage tier pricing.
ERP OperationsAS/400 (IBM i) Backup Verification Checklist
Verify that your IBM i saves actually completed, cover the right objects, are stored safely and can be restored, with critical items flagged.
More ERP Operations tools
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Free tools
- SQL Server ERP Backup Script GeneratorFill in the database name, backup folder and retention to get a T-SQL script with checksum, compression, verification and backup history cleanup.
- Backup Retention (GFS) Capacity CalculatorEstimate how much backup storage a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly retention policy needs for an ERP or file server, including compression and offsite copies.
- Backup Storage Cost CalculatorEstimate monthly and annual backup storage cost accounting for data growth, retention period, deduplication ratio, and storage tier pricing.
ERP fixes and how-tos
- How to Back Up the JobBOSS DatabaseBack up and restore the JobBOSS SQL Server database: scheduled full and log backups, verification, SQL Express options and pre-upgrade snapshots.
- How to Back Up Fishbowl Inventory (and Restore It)How to back up and restore the Fishbowl Inventory database: built-in backup, scheduling, mysqldump, offsite copies, and restore testing.
- How to Test ERP Backup and Disaster RecoveryHow to test ERP backups and disaster recovery: define RTO and RPO, restore the database and file tiers, prove the app works, and document results for audit.
Guides
- SyteLine Database Backup and Recovery StrategyPlan database backup and disaster recovery for Infor SyteLine SQL Server environments. Configure full, differential, and transaction log backup strategies.
- How to Set Up Database Backup Automation in SyteLineAutomate SyteLine database backups with SQL Server maintenance plans, transaction log management, and disaster recovery procedures for Infor CloudSuite Industrial.
- ERP Database Maintenance Plan Best PracticesBuild a comprehensive ERP database maintenance plan covering backup strategies, integrity checks, index optimization, statistics updates, and job scheduling.