This section describes the best practices for your backup client application.
Consider your restore requirements before setting up your In-file delta settings: A full backup backs up all files in full, providing the fastest restore time as the restore would only require one set of data. But it is the most time-consuming, storage space-intensive and the least flexible of all three types. A differential In-file delta backup backs up only modified parts of a file since the last full back. Differential In-file delta backup is quicker than full backup because less data are being backed up, but the amount of data being backed up grows with each differential In-file delta backup until the next full backup is performed. An incremental In-file delta backup also backs up modified parts of a file. The difference is it only backs up the changes that occurred since the last backup, be it full, differential or incremental backup. The result is a smaller and faster backup. While incremental backups give much greater flexibility, data backed up by long chain of incremental In-file delta backup will take a lot longer to restore, and is prone to data lost (e.g. broken delta chain). The following table summarizes the benefits and drawbacks of the 3 backup types:
Type |
Benefits |
Drawbacks |
Full |
Restoration is the fastest of all three types. |
Backup process is the slowest of all three types. Highest storage requirement. |
Differential |
Backup speed is faster than full backup. Restoration is faster than data backup with incremental In-file delta. Less storage space is need than a full backup. |
Restoration is slower than data backup with full backup. Backup process is slower than incremental In-file delta backup. |
Incremental |
Backup process is fastest of all three types. Least storage space is required. |
Restoration is the slowest of all three types. Prone to data lost. |
Assuming that a daily backup job is performed, the following In-file delta setting is recommended for your backup operation:
Weekday |
Backup Type |
Day 1 |
Full |
Day 2 |
Incremental |
Day 3 |
Incremental |
Day 4 |
Incremental |
Day 5 |
Differencial |
Day 6 |
Incremental |
Day 7 |
Incremental |