About SQL Server Agent
SQL Server Agent is a Microsoft Windows service that executes scheduled administrative tasks, which are called jobs. SQL Server Agent uses SQL Server to store job information. Jobs contain one or more job steps. Each step contains its own task, for example, backing up a database. SQL Server Agent can run a job on a schedule, in response to a specific event, or on demand. For example, if you want to back up all the company servers every weekday after hours, you can automate this task. Schedule the backup to run after 22:00 Monday through Friday; if the backup encounters a problem, SQL Server Agent can record the event and notify you.
Note
By default, the SQL Server Agent service is disabled when SQL Server 2005 is installed unless the user explicitly chooses to autostart the service.
To automate administration, follow these steps:
- Establish which administrative tasks or server events occur regularly and whether these tasks or events can be administered programmatically. A task is a good candidate for automation if it involves a predictable sequence of steps and occurs at a specific time or in response to a specific event.
- Define a set of jobs, schedules, alerts, and operators by using SQL Server Management Studio, Transact-SQL scripts, or SQL Server Management Objects (SMO). For more information, see Creating Jobs.
- Run the SQL Server Agent jobs you have defined.
Note
For the default instance of SQL Server, the SQL Server service is named SQLSERVERAGENT. For named instances, the SQL Server Agent service is named SQLAgent$instancename.
If you are running multiple instances of SQL Server, you can use multiserver administration to automate tasks common across all instances. For more information, see Automating Administration Across an Enterprise.
See Also
Concepts
Maintenance Plan Wizard
Configuring SQL Server Agent