SQL Server 2005 Maintenance Cleanup Task does not delete backup files

Posted by Adrian Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:06:00 GMT

SQL Server 2005 Maintenance Plans have an option for a Maintenance Cleanup Task that is designed to help you delete backup files older than a certain age. However, this feature is buggy, and you might find that backup files are not being deleted, with the result that your disks can become full. This article offers some advice on how you might get this feature working.

There are several things that you can do that might help to resolve this problem. First of all, you must ensure that you are running at least Service Pack 1. SP1 fixed a problem with the Hours/Days/Weeks drop down list. If you have not installed any Service Packs for SQL Server, I would strongly recommend that you do so -- Microsoft fix important security issues with their updates.

Assuming that you are running a recent Service Pack, these are the steps that will probably resolve your issue:

  • Remove the dot from the File extension field (i.e., type bak instead of .bak)
  • Add a trailing back-slash to the Folder field (i.e., E:\Backups\, not E:\Backups)

After taking those two steps, it will probably work. If not, these are other suggestions that you might try:

  • Try using wildcards in the File extension field (E.g., *, .*, *.*)
  • Try using different case in the File extension field -- it might be case sensitive (i.e., BAK might be different to bak and Bak), and should match your actual files


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