What is the drawback using only EXP
or EXPDP
command for a database dump (and considering it as a backup) instead of taking backups using BACKUP DATABASE
command (via RMAN
)? What is a difference between database dump (export) and database backup?
Oracle Backup vs Export – Difference Between Database Dump and Backup
backupexportoracle
Best Answer
I'll answer this at a high level for you. The two backup methods work at different levels. An
RMAN
backup is a physical backup and a Data Pump backup is a logical backup.A database dump using
expdp
is a 1-time export of one or more database schemas. It backs up DDL (table structures, views, synonyms, stored procedures, packages, etc), plus data.An
RMAN
backup is a point-in-time backup of an entire database (for the purposes of this question). It backs up the physical blocks that make up the database (data files, control file, archive logs etc) and, in combination with the database archive logs, allows point in time recovery options.In the event of a complete database loss an
RMAN
backup can be used to restore the complete database. However, a data dump taken usingexpdp
would need a new database creating before the data could be imported usingimpdp
.For a hobbyist Oracle XE database (that may not be in archivelog mode), backups using
expdp
will probably suffice.The Oracle Documentation covers this far better than I could ever explain. Oracle® Database Concepts - Backup and Recovery