Backup devices and backup expire

We have a third party application that backs up a sql server database as
part of its overall backup plan. This is hardwired into the application, so
that it must have a backup device with a specific name. I would like to drop
backup sets from the device after a week, so that the backup device does not
grow without bounds. I have played with expiredate/retaindays but this is
not the answer.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
JohnUnfortunately, you cannot remove part of a backup device, it is all or nothing. An option can be to copy the
physical file at regular intervals over to a new file name and then delete these files as they get too old.
--
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
"John" <jkraeck@.NOprincetonSPAM.edu> wrote in message news:uol5hQWIEHA.308@.tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> We have a third party application that backs up a sql server database as
> part of its overall backup plan. This is hardwired into the application, so
> that it must have a backup device with a specific name. I would like to drop
> backup sets from the device after a week, so that the backup device does not
> grow without bounds. I have played with expiredate/retaindays but this is
> not the answer.
> Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
> Thanks,
> John
>|||Tibor,
Thanks for the response. Alas, I thought that might be the case.
I will look into alternate methods of working around the issue. There is
always some way out.
Cheers,
John
"Tibor Karaszi" <tibor_please.no.email_karaszi@.hotmail.nomail.com> wrote in
message news:%23FnpQhWIEHA.2688@.tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Unfortunately, you cannot remove part of a backup device, it is all or
nothing. An option can be to copy the
> physical file at regular intervals over to a new file name and then delete
these files as they get too old.
> --
> Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
> http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
>
> "John" <jkraeck@.NOprincetonSPAM.edu> wrote in message
news:uol5hQWIEHA.308@.tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > We have a third party application that backs up a sql server database as
> > part of its overall backup plan. This is hardwired into the application,
so
> > that it must have a backup device with a specific name. I would like to
drop
> > backup sets from the device after a week, so that the backup device does
not
> > grow without bounds. I have played with expiredate/retaindays but this
is
> > not the answer.
> >
> > Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > John
> >
> >
>