How to schedule a daily backup with SQL Server Express?

backupscheduled-taskssql-server-express

I'm running a small web application with SQL server express (2005) as backend. I can create a backup with a SQL script, however, I'd like to schedule this on a daily basis. As extra option (should-have) I'd like to keep only the last X backups (for space-saving reasons obviously) Any pointers?

[edit] SQL server agent is unavailable in SQL server express…

Best Answer

You cannot use the SQL Server agent in SQL Server Express. The way I have done it before is to create a SQL Script, and then run it as a scheduled task each day, you could have multiple scheduled tasks to fit in with your backup schedule/retention. The command I use in the scheduled task is:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Binn\SQLCMD.EXE" -i"c:\path\to\sqlbackupScript.sql"