You're facing a massive database backup task. How do you decide which ones to prioritize?
With a daunting database backup task ahead, it's crucial to be strategic about which ones to tackle first. Consider these pointers:
- Assess criticality: Identify databases essential for day-to-day operations and prioritize them.
- Evaluate data sensitivity: Databases containing sensitive information should be high on your list.
- Frequency of use: Databases accessed frequently by users may warrant earlier backups.
How do you handle prioritizing database backups? Feel free to share your strategies.
You're facing a massive database backup task. How do you decide which ones to prioritize?
With a daunting database backup task ahead, it's crucial to be strategic about which ones to tackle first. Consider these pointers:
- Assess criticality: Identify databases essential for day-to-day operations and prioritize them.
- Evaluate data sensitivity: Databases containing sensitive information should be high on your list.
- Frequency of use: Databases accessed frequently by users may warrant earlier backups.
How do you handle prioritizing database backups? Feel free to share your strategies.
-
We must prioritize some key aspects that guarantee efficiency and security, for example: - Analyze and identify which data are the most critical and priority; - Identify data that has a certain update frequency and prioritize it as well; - Understanding and verifying legal and regulatory requirements; - Identify risks and impacts in relation to data loss.
-
As per my experience, I would prioritise the database based on following factors: -RPO and RTO requirements of the particular databases or application per say. -Data sensitivity -Frequency of data changes -Access pattern If the database is highly transaction with blazing fast changes, it contains sensitive data and has a tight RTO and RPO, then it would prioritised and other databases would follow based on the similar evaluation parameters
-
- Determine which databases are essential for business operations. Databases that contain critical customer data, transaction records, or financial information should be prioritized. - Understand how quickly each database must be restored after a failure. Databases with shorter RTOs should be backed up first. - Databases that change frequently may require daily backups, while static databases can be backed up weekly or monthly. - Understand the interdependencies between databases.
-
In my experience I will just look up the data priority first. Data sensitivity is checked for backup. Then I select RPO & RTO.
-
Goutham G
Software Developer at BNY | Angular | React | NextJs | .Net | Power BI | Tableau | Alteryx
Some planning has to be done based on : Disaster Recovery and RTO/RPO -Critical Systems Require near-zero RTO and RPO -Less Critical Systems can Allow for longer RTO/RPO Data Sensitivity and Security -Databases storing Personally Identifiable Information or financial data must be prioritized due to their criticality and potential for misuse Risk Assessment -Potential for financial loss, reputational damage, or regulatory penalties are highly prioritized -Lower-Risk Databases that areInternal or auxiliary systems with minimal impact on business continuity can be less prioritized Dependencies -Databases that are dependencies for multiple applications should be backed up first.
-
- déterminer les bases de données essentielles - connaître la dépendance entre les bases de données - connaître la criticité d'une défaillance voir d'une perte d'une base de données - connaître la vitesse de restauration d'une base de données - sauvegarder très régulièrement les bases de données essentielles et celles qui sont souvent sujettes à des modifications
-
Based on my experience, the first priority when setting up a database backup is to identify the databases responsible for the key configurations needed for core functionalities and production steps. This makes sure the operation won’t get affected. Then, schedule backups of the heavy and sensitive data during low-traffic hours. This way, we keep the impact on operations, tech processes, and end-users as minimal as possible.
-
You should start with 'Why do we need to have a "Massive backup task,"' the "Why" is what will drive your overall prioritization strategy. IF you're trying to ensure data stability and integrity with additional backups to your standard ones (ad-hoc backups) to: THEN I would start with breaking up the "critical" "day-to-day operations" databases into customer facing and internal facing (With prioritization deferring to customer facing) For other "Why's," remember that "Frequency of use" and sensitivity are only relevant from a performance impact perspective to the overlying applications/services. IF you don't already have backups that are recent for a given database, THEN you have a bigger, more important, project to address ASAP :)
-
1️⃣ Focus on business-critical databases to minimize downtime risks. 2️⃣ Use RPO/RTO to rank by recovery urgency. 3️⃣ Prioritize frequently updated and compliance-bound databases. 4️⃣ Optimize with incremental backups and resource planning. 5️⃣ Collaborate with stakeholders for alignment.
Rate this article
More relevant reading
-
Database AdministrationWhat is the control file's role in database recovery?
-
SQL DB2What are some common pitfalls to avoid when designing DB2 indexes?
-
Database DevelopmentHow can you effectively communicate backup and recovery testing results?
-
SQL DB2What are the differences and similarities between DB2 row-level locking and page-level locking?