Monitor Automatic Backups and Retention

Monitor Automatic Backups and Retention
Overview
This guide will help you confirm backups run on schedule, retained files are healthy, and pruning does not remove required recovery points.
Backup health and recovery readiness are evidenced rather than inferred from settings.
Who can do this
You need access to Backup settings/status and authorized filesystem.
Before you start
Know expected interval, location, retention count, last successful run, database size, storage alert threshold, and off-host copy policy.
Before saving, check that the correct company is open and that you have permission to complete this task.
Where to find it
Automatic Backup settings, set up backup folder, notifications/logs, and instance status.
Monitor Automatic Backups and Retention
Step 1: Confirm automatic backup remains enabled
Step 2: Compare last backup timestamp to the expected schedule
Step 3: Check newest file name, size, and database identity
Step 4: Confirm file count follows retention without removing protected recovery points
Step 5: Review errors and disk space
Step 6: Periodically restore a selected file in isolation
Check your work
Scheduled files appear, retention matches policy, off-host copies exist, and restore tests succeed.
Take a moment to check your work before closing the window. This small check can save time later.
If something goes wrong
A set up path with no recent file is a failed control.
Stop pruning/cleanup investigation before manually deleting backup evidence.
Related guides
Configure Automatic Database Backups
Restore a Database Backup Safely
Diagnose an External Integration Failure
What to do next
Configure Automatic Database Backups.