SQL

Launch SQL Server Management Studio and log in to the SQL instance hosting your MinistryPlatform database. In the left-hand tree view, go to Management > Maintenance Plans. You should see at least three plans. Right-click a plan and left-click Modify to launch the design view. Scheduling is in the top of the design window, and Maintenance Plan Tasks are in the bottom. Click the calendar icon on the sub-plan to see the job schedule properties window. On some older MinistryPlatform installs, you may see multiple sub-plans, but most churches will see only one sub-plan per SQL Maintenance Plan.

When a backup job runs, it creates a backup file for each database that it backs up. Without a cleanup task, it doesn't take long to complete fill up a drive with backup files. If the backup destination drive fills up, your server stops writing backups. If your backups are on the same drive with your SQL databases, your applications will stop working.

There are several factors to consider when you adjust the backup file retention of your SQL server:

• How large is the drive where you will write local backups?
• How large is the media you use for off-server backups (tape, iSCSI, cloud, and so on)?
• How large are your databases?
• Are you using backup compression in SQL?
• Do you have a large number of transactions hitting your database?

The default Maintenance Cleanup tasks configured during MinistryPlatform deployment retain two weeks of backups, both full and Transaction Log. A two-week retention is generally a safe policy, meaning it gives the average organization enough backup history on-server to handle restore needs for most situations and doesn't take so much space that it fills up the drive. Under the right circumstances, you can store significantly more backup files on your server without negatively affecting your applications.

SSRS

The Report Server uses encryption to secure sensitive data in the ReportServer database, including connection strings and stored passwords. You must have a backup copy of the encryption key to restore the database in case hardware fails or you move the database to different hardware. Otherwise, SSRS can't access parts of the database.

The encryption key doesn't change on a regular basis, so if you make a backup and put it in a safe place now, you won't have to worry about it again unless you reconfigure SSRS.

See our article on how to back up an Encryption Key.

SSL Certificates

Every SSL Certificate has an expiration date and you must renew it regularly. When you renew your SSL Certificate, you should export a copy of the certificate. Most companies that issue SSL Certificates will reissue certificates, but that process can take hours or even days, so a proper backup saves you time in case of disaster.

See our article on how to back up an SSL Certificate.