Database Backups and Restores

A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup. Logical versus physical dumps, point-in-time recovery, and testing the restore.

1. The Restore Is the Real Thing A backup exists only to be restored, so the restore is the thing you actually measure and test. RPO and RTO in plain terms, and why 'we have backups' carries no information.
2. The Three Kinds of Backup Logical dumps versus physical snapshots versus the write-ahead log, what each one gives you, and how the WAL unlocks point-in-time recovery to the second before the bad command.
3. When It Breaks The cautionary tale of the backup job that wrote empty files for months, the 3-2-1 rule, and how to automate, verify, and drill the restore so it works the day you need it.