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Changing backup type from append to overwrite

I have an SQL server with around 15 databases that have been setup with individual backup jobs for each day of the week - so there are around 75 backup jobs.

The backups are set to backup to disk, these files are then separately backed up to tape. Each database is backed up to a file for the day so that they can go back 5 days without having to go to tape.

The person who set the jobs up chose the append option rather than the overwrite option, and the server is now running out of disk space.

Is there any way to change an existing job to overwrite rather than append.

The code in enterprise manager doesn't seem any different either way:

BACKUP DATABASE [EXAMPLE] TO DISK = N'D:\BACKUP\EXAMPLE\FRIDAY\EXAMPLE' WITH INIT , NOUNLOAD , NAME = N'EXAMPLE FRIDAY backup', NOSKIP , STATS = 10, DESCRIPTION = N'EXAMPLE FRIDAY backup', NOFORMAT

I would rather find a nice way to change it rather than having to reschedule 75 jobs for them.

A

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rockiroads

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Anthony Perkins

From BOL, this is the cause (no points please as it confirms the previous comment):

INIT

Specifies that all backup sets should be overwritten, but preserves the media header. If INIT is specified, any existing backup set data on that device is overwritten.

The backup media is not overwritten if any one of the following conditions is met:

· All backup sets on the media have not yet expired. For more information, see the EXPIREDATE and RETAINDAYS options.

· The backup set name given in the BACKUP statement, if provided, does not match the name on the backup media. For more information, see the NAME clause.

Use the SKIP option to override these checks. For more information about interactions when using SKIP, NOSKIP, INIT, and NOINIT, see the Remarks section.

Note If the backup media is password protected, SQL Server does not write to the media unless the media password is supplied. This check is not overridden by the SKIP option. Password-protected media may be overwritten only by reformatting it. For more information, see the FORMAT option.