![what is a file extension what is a file extension](https://images.ctfassets.net/1khq4uysbvty/5OX9R2XaEgk0Eo04cC8cWA/ad2741c623bf45cb6aa77d9192d9a1d0/bitmap.png)
diff, you know, ok this is my differential backup file. So when you are trying to restore you database from your backups, you would want to know what kind of backup is that backup file just by looking at the extension. The first reason is to quicken you restores, yes the ultimate goal of a backup is to restore your data in case of a failure (user, hardware or a natural disaster). Why it should be named using a certain extensions, the reasons are many. If the backup was completed successfully, you can use that file to restore without any issues. sql or any funny extension as you wish and write the backup information into that file. You can name your backup as db_full.zip or. SQL Server does not have problem with the file extension as long as the file is a valid file. Doing this way, it would be easier across your team (of 2 or 20) to recognize what is the backup type by looking at the file extension. TRN for transactional (Upper case is not a must, only to highlight the file extension). Most of the time I had worked, seen or heard, it was a general industry wide accepted extension of. One of the answers is, for our convenience to remember what type of backup is stored with what type of extensions. What should be the extensions for backup files? So I thought why not I write a blog post on this.
![what is a file extension what is a file extension](https://helpdeskgeek.com/wp-content/pictures/2020/11/Windows-Rename-File-Option.png)
This looks like a simple question, but I had often seen in many forums this question being asked, I happened to answer a question on as recently as last week.