DBCC Shrinkfile

The code below shrinks the transaction log file to target size specified.

Use AdventureWorks
GO
DBCC Shrinkfile(filename, target_size)

filename is the logical name of the file to shrink
traget_size is the size of the transaction log file in megabytes to be shrunk. For example

Use AdventureWorks
GO
DBCC Shrinkfile(AdventureWorks_Log, 10)

The above code shrinks down the transaction log file named AdventureWorks_Log to 10MB

Copy-Only Backup

Copy-only backup are new feature in SQL 2005. It allows a backup of any type to be taken without affecting any other backups. Copy-only backup doesn’t affect the restore chain. It cannot be used as a restored base in the event of failure. They are useful in a situation where you want to get a copy of the database for testing purposes or when you want to refresh the staging, development and testing databases.

Copy-only backups are not supported via SQL Server Management Studio(SSMS). It must be performed using T-SQL Backup command.

Backup Database MYDATABASE
TO DISK = 'Drive\Folder\filename.bak'
WITH COPY-ONLY