This article provides steps to back up the vCenter Server database running on Microsoft SQL or SQL Express server as a regular maintenance task.

1. Download and install Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express.
   
   To download Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express, see these Microsoft Download locations:
   
   
   • MS SQL Studio Express 2005
   • MS SQL Studio Express 2008
     
     Note: The preceding links were correct as of January 23, 2017. If you find a link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.
     
     
2. Open SQL Server Management Studio Express and connect to the vCenter Server database server or instance.
   
   Note: If you are not using a dedicated SQL server, the database resides on vCenter Server. To verify the location and database name:
   
   
   1. Open the ODBC connector.
   2. Click the System DSN tab.
   3. Find the vCenter Server item.
   4. Click configure.
   5. Proceed through the steps and note the SQL Server and the default database.
      
      
3. Stop all vCenter Server services on the vCenter Server system. This ensures that no service is out of sync during the backup. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter services (1003895).
4. Expand Databases and look for the vCenter Server database, usually named as VIM_VCDB, unless you renamed it during the initial creation.
5. Right-click the vCenter Server database and Click Tasks > Back Up.
6. Select your backup options and Click OK.
7. Copy the backup file to a safe location during maintenance or upgrades. Ensure to perform this backup before performing any operation on vCenter Server, as it holds current and historical data.
8. Start all vCenter Server services on the vCenter Server system once the backup has completed. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter services (1003895).