Bacpac vs BAK ?
BACPAC:
A BACPAC is a logical backup file format used for Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
It contains the schema and data of a database but does not include the transaction log.
BACPAC files are typically used for:
Migrating on-premises databases to Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Creating backups of Azure SQL databases for archival or deployment purposes.
Restoring databases in Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance.
BACPAC files can be created using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), Azure Portal, SQLPackage.exe, or Azure PowerShell.
BAK:
A BAK file is a physical backup file format used for SQL Server on-premises databases.
It contains a full backup of the database, including its schema, data, and transaction log records (depending on the type of backup).
BAK files are typically used for:
Disaster recovery: Restoring databases to a specific point in time in case of data loss or corruption.
Database migration: Moving databases between SQL Server instances or servers.
Database refreshes: Restoring databases to development or testing environments.
BAK files are created using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or by executing Transact-SQL (T-SQL) commands such as BACKUP DATABASE.
In summary, use BACPAC files for Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance, while use BAK files for on-premises SQL Server databases.