If you want to create a backup of your database, there are 2 options. You may either export the data as csv files to your local computer or you may create a backup on the server.
To export your data as csv
files to your local
computer, choose Data ->
Export ->
CSV(bcp) ... from the
menu.
A window will open as shown below, where you can select the
tables that should
be exported. Click on the Start Export button to export your
data. If you choose
the option as shown below 2 files will be created for every
table. The first
file (*.csv) contains the data while the second file (*.xml)
contains the
structure of the table.
To create a backup of your database
on the server, choose Data
->
Backup
database from the
menu. This will create a SQL-Server backup on the server where
the database is
located. Ensure that there is enough space on the server.
Another option is to create a direct copy of the database files on the server. For this you have to use the functions provided by SQL-Server. However, you need administration rights for the database you want to create a backup of. Open the Enterprise Manager for SQL-Server, choose the database and detach it from the server as shown in the image below.
After detaching the database, you can save a copy of the ..._Data.MDF file to keep it as a backup.
After storing the backup you have to reattach the database.
A dialog will appear where you have to select the original database file in your directory.