Database Backup with SAPDBA (SAP Library - SAP Database Guide: Oracle (BC-DB-ORA-DBA))

Database Backup with SAPDBA

Purpose

You can back up the data files and control files of your Oracle database with SAPDBA. If you are performing an offline backup of the whole database, the online redo log files are also backed up. If you have lost data and want to recover it, these files are essential. You can also back up non-database files and directories.

You typically use SAPDBA for a one-off backup, such as after a structure change to the database. For example, after moving or renaming the data files of a tablespace, you ought to back up the database.

Recommendation

For routine backups, we recommend one of the following:

DBA Planning Calendar to schedule a backup and then view its log

A scheduler offered by a supplier of the BACKINT interface

The scheduler cron for UNIX or at for Windows

Like SAPDBA, these tools call the SAP tool BRBACKUP to perform the backup.

Integration

SAPDBA normally calls the SAP tool BRBACKUP. You can also perform a backup directly by calling BRBACKUP from the command line.

Recommendation

We recommend you to normally use SAPDBA rather than BRBACKUP. This is because the SAPDBA menus simplify entry of the correct parameters.

Features

You can perform the following backup functions with SAPDBA:

Perform normal backup
Initialize BRBACKUP tape
Show BRBACKUP tape header information
Determine compression rates
Prepare for RMAN run
Verify BRBACKUP tape

For the function Verify BRBACKUP tape, SAPDBA calls BRRESTORE.

Activities

You call the backup function in SAPDBA and check the displayed backup parameters, changing them as required.

The default values for the backup parameters, which are set in the initialization profile init<DBSID>.sap, trigger an offline full database backup to a local tape device without file compression. This means that the online redo log files and control file are backed up as well as the data files.

Note

SAPDBA only lets you change certain parameters for the backup. If you have to make other changes, you must change the init<DBSID>.sap profile manually and then restart SAPDBA.

If required, you change the default values for the backup parameters in the initialization profile init<DBSID>.sap and restart SAPDBA.

You start the backup.

If the backup is being made locally or remotely to tapes or disks, then the backup is monitored and an estimation is made of the backup time, based on the elapsed time and the size of the files that still have to be backed up. You also see success or error messages.

You check the results of the backup in the BRBACKUP logs.

For more information, see Backing Up the Database with SAPDBA.