Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure - Backing up Microsoft Azure VMs with MS SQL

Hello ! Hope everything is going well.

VBAz) allows you to back up Azure VMs hosting SQL Server using application-aware processing, which ensures data consistency at the time of the backup. However, it does not support transaction log backups or point-in-time restore (PITR). You can recover database files like .mdf and .ldf through file-level recovery if needed, but not restore individual databases or roll back to a specific point in time.

If your use case requires granular database restores or PITR — especially for SQL Server or Oracle — it’s recommended to use Veeam Agent for Windows or Linux inside the VM. These agents provide deeper integration with the database engine and support advanced features like log backup and PITR.

https://forums.veeam.com/applications-f66/best-practice-application-aware-settings-for-ad-domain-controllers-t98539.html 

https://forums.veeam.com/microsoft-azure-f59/which-azure-sql-s-can-be-backed-up-with-veeam-t92487.html 

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/archive/vbazure/60/guide/sql_backup_resources.html

Hello @matheusgiovanini,

Thank you for the response and this aligns with my understanding as well, though I’d like to see if others have any different perspectives.

I’m exploring options using Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure (VBAz) and want to ensure I’ve covered all possibilities before making a recommendation.

Currently, the Azure VMs are backed up using VBAz policies (without application-aware snapshots). The databases and transaction logs are written to an Azure File Share, which is then protected via VBAz Azure Files backup policies. The challenge is that these are snapshot-based backups, which are not fully immutable and don’t meet the 3-2-1 backup rule, hence the search for a more robust solution.

Hi ​@fem 

You can restorehttps://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbazure/guide/performing_restore.html?ver=8 

VM 
SQL
CosmosDB
File share
Virtual network configuration
Performing Instant recovery
Exporting Disk
Restoring to AWS
Restoring to Google Cloud
Restoring to Nutanix AHV

-Can application-aware processing fully protect SQL and Oracle databases?
 AAP in VMBA is not available in the same way it is with traditional on-prem VBR
 Azure VM use native Azure snapshot and store them in Blob Storage
 Support FLR and entire Vm restore (Vm image backup and Crash-consistend backup
 Alternatively, you can use SQL Server Maintenance Plans or Oracle RMAN to perform full and transaction log backups on a local disk of the VM or azure share. Then schedule a VM backup job to save the disk backups.

-Is transaction log backup and point-in-time restore supported for SQL?
No
AAP for SQL & Oracle maybe you can need use Veeam Agent for Windows/Linux inside the VM in standalone mode (Never tried on a server in Azure)
If, on the other hand, you already have an existing VBR on-prem infrastructure, you can use Object storage or backup repos. repository.https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/agentforwindows/userguide/operation_modes.html?ver=60 

support Storage Type    in standalone mode

Local Disk (USB/internal)        Recommended for portability
SMB Network Share                Use UNC path
Veeam Repository(manual)        Requires credentials
OneDrive     (new in v6)       For personal data, not full system

support Storage Type    in managed mode

Local storage

Object Storage

Shared Folders

VBR  Repositiry

Veeam Cloud connect

-Can individual databases be restored without restoring the entire VM?
if use Veeam agnet yes
Are there scenarios where Veeam Agent for Windows or Linux is required instead?
i use it for backup MS cluster whit shared physical disk Quorum, Vmware snapshot dont work on shared physical disk

regards