To manage SAP DB database instances and, in particular, to guarantee data security, SAP provides you with easy-to-use database tools. You can use these tools together with external backup tools.
To back up and restore SAP DB database instances, use the Database Manager. To load and unload data into or from SAP DB database instances, use the SAP DB Loader.
For general information on the SAP DB database system, see the documentation The SAP DB Database System. The section External Backup Tools contains a list of external backup tools that are supported by SAP DB.
This document describes the configuration of the SAP DB software for use with various external backup tools. The documentation gives you an overview of which SAP DB database versions can be connected to which external backup tools, and for which database versions you can create parallel backups or restores.
If, for example, you want to save the dataset of a database instance, or load data from the database instance, you can save this data directly in files, pipes, or, by using a tape device, on tapes. However, you can also save data on a permanent medium by using an external backup tool. In this case, you also use the SAP DB database tools to control the necessary actions. The external backup tool provides the tapes on which you can save or load the data. To be able to use the SAP DB database tool together with the external backup tool, you have to configure the SAP DB software accordingly.
You can use external backup tools for the following actions:
· Save on external backup media
¡ Archive version files
· Restore external backup media
¡ Restore the database instance by using data backups, log backups, and archived log backups
· Unload data to external backup media
¡ Unload the whole database instance
¡ Unload the whole database catalog
· Load data from external backup media
¡ Load the whole database instance
¡ Load the whole database catalog
The procedures for
backups and restores after the relevant configuration are contained in the
following documents (depending on which tool you use):
Database Manager CLI, sections Using External Backup
Tools for Backups and Using External Backup
Tools for Restores
Database Manager GUI, sections Backing Up Data
and Restoring
Data, or the documentation Web
DBM.
The procedures for loading and unloading data after the relevant configuration are described in the documentation Loader: SAP DB 7.4, sections Unloading with External Backup Tools and Loading with External Backup Tools.
When you backup or restore, you can switch from Microsoft Windows to Linux and the other way round only. This means that a backup created on the operating system Microsoft Windows can be restored only on the same operating system or on Linux. A backup created on Linux can be restored only on the same operating system or on Microsoft Windows.
If you are planning to migrate data between different operating systems, SAP recommends that you use the SAP DB Loader. When you load or unload data, there are no restrictions for switching the operating system as far as this SAP DB database tool is concerned. A switch is restricted only by the various backup devices being independent of operating systems only to a limited extent. If, for example, you want to switch from Microsoft Windows to UNIX, a tape device or an external backup tool would have to be compatible with both operating systems. Check this in the documentation on your backup device.