How can you backup databases with different levels of criticality?

1 Criticality levels

The first step to backup your databases is to determine their criticality level, which reflects how much data loss or downtime you can tolerate. A common way to classify databases is by using the RPO (Recovery Point Objective) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective) metrics. RPO measures how much data you can afford to lose in case of a disaster, while RTO measures how quickly you need to restore your database to a functional state. For example, a high-criticality database might have a RPO of 15 minutes and a RTO of 1 hour, while a low-criticality database might have a RPO of 24 hours and a RTO of 8 hours.

2 Backup strategies

Once you have defined your criticality levels, you can choose the backup strategy that best suits your needs. There are different types of backups, such as full, differential, incremental, and log backups, that vary in size, speed, and frequency. A full backup copies the entire database and provides the most reliable and complete recovery option, but it also consumes more space and time. A differential backup copies only the data that has changed since the last full backup, reducing the space and time required, but also increasing the dependency on the full backup. An incremental backup copies only the data that has changed since the last backup of any type, saving more space and time, but also increasing the complexity and risk of recovery. A log backup copies only the transaction log records, allowing point-in-time recovery, but requiring a full or differential backup as a base.

The backup strategy you choose depends on your criticality level, as well as your available resources and performance requirements. For example, a high-criticality database might benefit from a combination of frequent log backups and periodic full or differential backups, while a low-criticality database might be fine with daily or weekly full backups.

3 Backup tools

There are various tools and methods available for backing up your databases, depending on the database platform, the backup type, and the backup destination. For example, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) provides a graphical user interface to perform and schedule backups for SQL Server databases, as well as restore and verify them. Additionally, SQL Server Agent is a service that runs scheduled tasks for SQL Server databases, using Transact-SQL scripts or maintenance plans. Furthermore, SQL Server Backup to URL is a feature that enables you to backup SQL Server databases to Azure Blob Storage via SSMS, SQL Server Agent, or PowerShell. Moreover, Azure SQL Database is a cloud-based database service that automatically performs full, differential, and log backups for your databases with the ability to restore them to any point in time within the retention period. For MySQL databases, MySQL Workbench provides a graphical user interface to perform and schedule backups as well as restore and verify them. Additionally, MySQL Enterprise Backup is a command-line tool that offers features such as compression, encryption, and incremental backups for MySQL databases. Lastly, MySQL Backup to Cloud is a feature that allows you to backup MySQL databases to various cloud storage providers like Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure Blob Storage using MySQL Enterprise Backup or other tools.

4 Backup monitoring

Once you have established your backup strategy and tools, it is necessary to monitor them regularly to ensure that they are functioning as intended and meeting your criticality levels. You should check the backup status, measure the duration, size, frequency, and retention; troubleshoot any errors or issues that arise; optimize if the backups are taking too long or consuming too much space; adjust if they are too frequent or too infrequent; and delete if they are obsolete or unnecessary.

5 Backup testing

The final and most important step to backup your databases is to test your backups regularly to ensure that they are valid and usable. This involves restoring them to a different location or environment, and verifying that they contain the expected data and functionality. Testing your backups can help detect and correct any errors or corruption before needing them for a real recovery. It also allows you to validate and improve your backup strategy and tools to meet criticality levels, practice and document recovery procedures, as well as evaluate and report backup performance and compliance. Ultimately, this demonstrates readiness and reliability to stakeholders.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?