ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the concepts necessary to formulate a method to protect, back up, and, in the event of failure, recover perhaps the most important aspect of a business—its database. It describes a database environment is defined as the database, connecting middleware, and application front-end screens. Without proper preparation, planning, and testing, an entire database infrastructure can become the target of lost devices, indexes, degraded backup mechanisms, and corrupted data. If either the primary or secondary drive fails, the data on the surviving drive allows for system recovery. In contrast, database recoverability refers to the ability to recover a database successfully in its entirety. The common methods of data production include the following: tape, mirroring, data guarding, duplexing, partitioning, replication, and clustering. The size and complexity of the database environment determines the most suitable backup cycle. The accuracy or consistency of the backup is paramount for recoverability.
