What is the difference between SQL Server 2000 complete and differential backups?
A complete backup makes a copy of the whole database. A differential backup creates a copy of the changes that have been made to the database as the last complete backup. A complete backup must be made before the first differential backup. Because differential backups are quicker, they can be taken more frequently and the chance of data loss is decreased. Complete backups take longer but are slightly simpler to employ for recovery.