Managing the Database
The WSUS database is configured during setup to store the following types of information:
WSUS server configuration information
Information about client computers, updates, and client interaction with updates
Update metadata
Update metadata (the information about the update) is part of every update available on Microsoft Update. The update files are stored separately from the metadata, either on Microsoft Update or on your WSUS server. For more information, see Specifying Where to Store the Updates.
Depending on your server and network configurations, you use a Windows® Internal Database or SQL Server database for your WSUS installation. For more information about your database options when installing WSUS, see the WSUS Deployment Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=139832).
You may have to perform one or two special database tasks as part of regular operations. You should regularly back up the WSUS database. For more information, see Backing Up Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2. You should also re-index the database to improve its performance. For more information, see Appendix I: Database Maintenance. In addition, you may want to move WSUS data from a Windows Internal Database installation to a SQL Server installation.