What's your plan for data warehouse recovery?

1 Backup Strategies

The first step in data warehouse recovery is to have a backup strategy that suits your data warehouse requirements and constraints. A backup strategy defines how often, where, and how you will store copies of your data warehouse and its components, such as schemas, metadata, ETL scripts, and security policies. There are different types of backups, such as full, incremental, differential, and snapshot, that vary in the amount of data and time they consume. You should choose a backup type that balances your recovery point objective (RPO), which is the maximum acceptable data loss in case of a disaster, and your backup window, which is the time available for performing backups.

2 Recovery Objectives

The second step in data warehouse recovery is to define your recovery objectives, which are the goals and metrics that guide your recovery process. The main recovery objectives are the recovery point objective (RPO) and the recovery time objective (RTO), which we mentioned earlier. The RPO is the maximum acceptable data loss in case of a disaster, measured in time units, such as hours or days. The RTO is the maximum acceptable downtime in case of a disaster, measured in the same time units. You should determine your RPO and RTO based on your business needs, service level agreements, and data warehouse characteristics, such as size, complexity, and update frequency.

3 Recovery Methods

The third step in data warehouse recovery is to choose a recovery method that matches your backup strategy and recovery objectives. A recovery method is the technique or tool that you use to restore your data warehouse from a backup or a replica. There are different recovery methods, such as restore, rebuild, failover, and switch, that vary in the speed, complexity, and cost of recovery. You should choose a recovery method that minimizes your RTO and meets your RPO, while considering your data warehouse architecture, such as whether it is centralized, distributed, or hybrid.

4 Recovery Testing

The fourth step in data warehouse recovery is to test your recovery plan regularly and thoroughly. Recovery testing is the process of simulating a disaster scenario and executing your recovery plan to verify its effectiveness and efficiency. Recovery testing helps you to identify and resolve any issues or gaps in your backup strategy, recovery objectives, or recovery methods, before a real disaster occurs. It also helps you to measure and improve your RPO and RTO, as well as to train and familiarize your staff with the recovery procedures.

5 Recovery Documentation

The fifth step in data warehouse recovery is to document your recovery plan clearly and comprehensively. Recovery documentation is the set of documents that describe your backup strategy, recovery objectives, recovery methods, and recovery testing results and recommendations. Recovery documentation helps you to communicate and share your recovery plan with your stakeholders, such as management, users, and auditors. It also helps you to maintain and update your recovery plan as your data warehouse evolves or changes.

6 Recovery Best Practices

The sixth and final step in data warehouse recovery is to follow some best practices that can enhance your recovery performance and reliability. Automating your backup and recovery processes with tools and scripts can help reduce human errors and save time. It is also important to encrypt and secure your backups and replicas with passwords, keys, or certificates to protect your data from unauthorized access or tampering. Monitoring and auditing your backup and recovery activities with logs, alerts, or reports can help you track and verify your RPO and RTO compliance and performance. Additionally, periodically reviewing and revising your recovery plan with feedback, analysis, or changes can ensure its relevance and adequacy.

7 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?