Use this command to import backups of the database and recover the database status that they contain.

To recover the database completely, first import the most up-to-date complete data backup. If you have carried out one or more incremental data backups after the complete data backup, import them as well. To find out which data backup is the most up-to-date and which incremental data backups were made after it, look into the backup history (see backup_history_open).

After the data backup(s) have been imported, the system will display which log page to start importing the log backups with. You can also find this information in the backup history. On the basis of this information, select the first log backup to be imported. Then import the subsequent log backups in chronological order.

Look into the restart information to determine up to which log page you need to import the log backups. The system displays which log pages are still in the log area (that is beginning with which number). The log pages, which are still in the log area can be restored by the system from that location (see db_restartinfo). You need not import them using a log backup.

The backups to be imported must, in their entirety, comprise all the contents of the database without any gaps. The automatic recovery of the log entries in the log area is only possible if the log volumes are still intact.

If the log volumes contain all the log entries that were written after the last imported data backup was carried out, it is sufficient to import the data backups and then restart the database (see db_restart). The system then imports the content of the log area.

If you need to import more log backups after the data backup(s), the database system recognizes the page starting from which the missing content can be imported from the log area. The log backup import terminates at this point, the system recovers the remaining log pages from the log area and automatically transfers the database to the ONLINE operational state.

You can import data backups that were created sequentially as well as data backups that were created on more than one data carrier in parallel into the database system.

Execute the recover_start command to import data backups and the first log backup. Then import all succeeding log backups with the continuation command recover_replace (after return value -8020.

If you set up a standby database, import all succeeding log backups with recover_start (after return value -7075.

It is possible to recover the database only as far as a certain consistent state before a database or hard disk error occurred. When importing log backups, you can use an option to specify the point in time up to which the system should import the entries from the log backups or from the log area (as the case may be).

If you used a third-party backup tool to make the backups, use that tool to import the backups. To do so, determine the backup ID of the required backup first (see backup_ext_ids_get and backup_ext_ids_list). Database Manager uses this ID to identify the backup that is to be imported.

The reply to the recover_start DBM command displays information about the import of the backup. However, this information is only displayed when the backup has been imported completely, or if the backup was interrupted. This command may therefore take a long time to execute.

You can display the current status of the restore operation with the DBM command recover_state.

If it is clear from the message number that the restore was interrupted and not finished, continue the session with the continuation command (recover_replace) or terminate it with (recover_cancel).

If the automatic log backup was on before the recovery was started, it is not reactivated automatically after the recovery. To reactivate the automatic log backup function, execute DBM command autolog_on.

If you updated the software after the database state that the recovery takes you back to, you need to reload the system tables to adjust them to the new software version (see load_systab).