Backing Up: Dumps Vs SQL Backup Agents Using BackupExec

I'm going back and forth on an issue and was looking for some outside observations. I have over a dozen SQL NT servers, both 6.5 and 7.0. On some servers I'm dumping the databases and backing up the dumps with Veritas BackupExec, on 4 (two SQL 6.5, two v7) I'm backing up with the Veritas SQL Backup Agent.

Obviously, if you don't have room to dump a database, you must use the backup agent. That is the case on one of my servers and becoming so on a second. But my personal preference is to do the dump/backup.

(as a side note, one server is not backing up correctly with the backup agent but ultimately that box will require it due to DB growth, so it is something that I have to resolve)

I like the dump system for a few reasons. I find it easier to load from a dump, particularly a single table. Likewise, I find it easier to copy a database by loading from a dump rather than going from a backup, but that's mainly because of BackupExec being a little bit strange on redirecting restores.

Here's my clincher. I find restores via the backup agent to be ridiculously slow. Let's say I have a 5gig DB that has 1.5gig in it. The dump size will probably be somewhere below 2gig. The restore via backup agent carefully writes the entire 5gig even though 3.5g of that is empty. This takes a lot of time. Add to that the "post-restore DBCC". I had such a restore take something on the order of 13 HOURS which, needless to say, conflicted with my nightly DBCC's and backups.


OK. End of rant. Any suggestions or thoughts on the subject?