After downloading and configuring nopCommerce I went into MSSQL Management Studio changed the recovery model of the nopCommerce created database to full and set up a Maintenance Plan to perform regular full backups and another to perform regular transaction log backups. I then noticed that admin -> system -> maintenance has "backup database". So I am wondering which is best? Do I get something extra from the nopCommerce database backup? My maintenance plan includes integrity checking, backup verification, clean up tasks and the like, as well as the recovery model of full and transaction log backups giving point in time recovery.
In nopCommerce: using admin -> system -> maintenance, it's a one time process , you can take a backup when you want
Using Maintenance Plan to perform regular full backups in MSSQL Management Studio: It's a regular process, that keeps taking the backup of your database,
so chances for losing data is in using nopCommerce feature because let's say you didn't take backup and your website crashed, you cannot recover data
But by using Maintenance Plan , it keeps on taking backup periodically
Thanks Mike, that's what I figured but wanted to be sure just in case. Also I guess that if a site is being hosted it is quite likely the host guys will deal with MSSQL and so a feature in the site to take a backup saves having to negotiate with the host guys.