Incremental Backups After Structural Changes (SAP Library - Database Administration (Oracle) with SAPDBA)

Incremental Backups After Structural Changes

What action should you take when the structure of the database has been changed during a backup cycle, for example when a data file has been added?

This would lead to the Oracle Recovery Manager failing to make the next incremental backup. However, the integration of RMAN into the SAP backup program BRBACKUP (either with the SAP backup library or an external backup library) lets you make incremental backups even if the structure of the database has been changed.

For more information, see Incremental Backup Strategy Without a Backup Library.

If you use an SBT backup library, savesets will always be created. Savesets are created on the backup medium and contain one or more files (see Saveset Grouping). During incremental backups the changes are normally saved in a single saveset. If the structure of the database has been changed during a backup cycle, a second saveset is created to which the new files are backed up. In each subsequent incremental backup in the backup cycle, the changes in the files that existed at the time of the last complete backup are written to one saveset. In addition, the new files are backed up in their entirety (not just the changes) to another saveset in every incremental backup that is made until the next complete backup. This has the advantage that you can specify exactly what you want to restore when you restore an incremental backup.