We have a SQL Server 7.0 database running with trunc. log on chkpt and
select into/bulkcopy checked and need to develop a backup strategy.

One of our DBAs insists that since the transaction log is being
truncated, we can't do a hot backup (a FULL backup in multiuser mode)
because if a transaction comes through during the backup it will leave
the backup in an inconsistent state. I'm skeptical, but I don't know
how SQL Server 7 avoids this problem.

If SQL 7 is not truncating the transaction log, it uses the
transaction log to roll forward changes that occurred during the
backup. Obviously if it's truncating the log it must have some way to
apply these transactions anyway (such as not doing a checkpoint during
the backup, backing up the log at each checkpoint, etc.).

Can anyone confirm that a hot backup will be valid when trunc. log on
chkpt is checked? Does anyone know how SQL 7 accomplishes this?

Thanks!

[quoted text, click to view]

This is not correct - a full backup (BACKUP DATABASE ...) is always
consistent, and database settings will not affect that.

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SQL Server records the log sequence number (LSN) when the backup
starts, then again when it ends, and uses the LSNs to include part of
the log in the backup set. That part of the log can then be applied
when the backup is restored, to ensure the data is consistent.

[quoted text, click to view]

All backups in SQL Server are 'hot', in the sense that you never need
to take the database offline, stop the MSSQL service etc.