15.1. Can It Be Done?Think about database backups from a big-picture perspective, and compare them to filesystem backups. There are a number of good backup utilities on the market now. Why aren't there just as many for database backups? There is certainly a demand for them. One of the reasons is the complexity of the task. In order to release a database backup product, a company needs to consider several factors:
With these kinds of requirements, is there any hope of getting utilities that are up to the challenge? The answer is "Yes!" Database companies have finally recognized that backup utilities do have an effect on the overall sales of a database engine. They have finally started producing good utilities that interface with other commercial backup products. Vendors have even taken an active lead in making sure that customers use a utility that works properly on both the backup side and the restore side. Now that there are decent backup utilities, though, you have another problemconfusion. |