An increasing percentage of my website's content is stored in an SQL Server 2005 database. The server that hosts this database also hosts databases for many other organizations. I go through a somewhat elaborate procedure to backup my database. Basically I copy the database into a database on my local machine. Then I backup the local database.

Here are the steps I go through. If anyone knows of a more streamlined process, please let me know.

1. Run SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Delete and re-create the local copy database.
3. Right-click local copy database.
4. Import data from remote database into local copy database. (Tasks / Import Data). Use SQL Native Client.
5. Complete the wizard.
6. Open remote database. Select Tasks / Generate Scripts. Generate scripts for everything. Save script.
7. Run script in local copy database (File / Open script file, move to end of script, press F5, making sure that copy is the active database).
8. Backup local copy database (Tasks / Back Up).
9. Save script file.