Procedure documentationBacking Up Databases Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

Regularly back up your data and redo log entries from the data and log areas of your database to data carriers. No downtime is required for backups: you can execute backups in the ONLINE operational state, meaning that the database is available to users during backups.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

Backing Up: Schematic Overview

If there is a database failure due to a hardware defect or a logical error, you can restore the database to a consistent state by importing the data and log entries from the backups. You can use backups you created on a Microsoft Windows system on Unix and Linux systems, and vice versa.

Procedure

For backing up, use Database Studio, Database Manager CLI or CCMS (in SAP systems only). Not that neither data exports created with the Loader database tool nor data area snapshots are data backups: they are not suitable for restoring a database.

Recommendation Recommendation

Test the backup and restore process on a test computer before starting up your productive system.

End of the recommendation.
  1. Make a plan of when you want to perform backups.

    More information: Periodic Administration Tasks

  2. Define backup templates.

    More information: Backup Templates and Data Carriers

  3. Regularly back up data and redo log entries during normal database operation.

    More information:

    To speed up the backup process, you can back up the data on several data carriers in parallel.

    More information: Backing Up to a Group of Parallel Data Carriers

    You can also back up data to data carriers on remote computers.

    More information: Backing Up and Restoring Data with Remote Computers

    You can use backup tools from third-party providers.

    More information: Using Third-Party Backup Tools

  4. Check if the database system carried out the backup successfully.

    More information: Monitoring Databases

  5. If you use data carriers of the FILE type for log backups (backup files), then archive the backup files regularly.

    More information: Archiving Backup Files

More Information

Restoring Databases

Concepts of the Database Systems, How Databases Store Data and Log Entries