DBMS: Backup (Definitions)

"(1) A system, component, file, procedure, or person available to replace or help restore a primary item in the event of a failure or externally caused disaster. (2) To create or designate a system, component, file, procedure, or person as in (1)." (IEEE, "IEEE Standard Glossary of Software Engineering Terminology", 1990)

"A copy of a database or transaction log, used to recover from a media failure." (Karen Paulsell et al, "Sybase SQL Server: Performance and Tuning Guide", 1996)

"A copy of a database, transaction log, file, or filegroup. Use this object to recover data after a system failure." (Anthony Sequeira & Brian Alderman, "The SQL Server 2000 Book", 2003)

"A spare copy of a file or files that have been created in case the original data is damaged or lost." (Andy Walker, "Absolute Beginner’s Guide To: Security, Spam, Spyware & Viruses", 2005)

"Making copies of data to a device other than the original data store." (Tom Petrocelli, "Data Protection and Information Lifecycle Management", 2005)

"This is a copy of a database that can be used to bring the database back to a stable condition in the event of a disaster." (Joseph L Jorden & Dandy Weyn, "MCTS Microsoft SQL Server 2005: Implementation and Maintenance Study Guide - Exam 70-431", 2006)

"The process of copying your database’s information to another form of media, such as tape or disk. A good backup strategy is vital for any production SQL Server environment." (Robert D Schneider & Darril Gibson, "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies", 2008)

"(1) The process of making a copy of data from a database to ensure its continued availability in the event of a hardware or software failure requiring recovery of the database to restore the data. (2) The copy itself." (Craig S Mullins, "Database Administration", 2012)

"A duplicate of a program, a disk, or data, made either for archiving purposes or for safeguarding files." (Microsoft, "SQL Server 2012 Glossary", 2012)

"A utility that copies databases, files, or subsets of databases and files to a storage medium. This copy can be used to restore the data in case of system failure." (Marcia Kaufman et al, "Big Data For Dummies", 2013)

"A complete spare copy of data for purposes of disaster recovery. Backups are nonindexed mass storage and cannot substitute for indexed, archived information that can be quickly searched and retrieved (as in archiving)." (Robert F Smallwood, "Information Governance: Concepts, Strategies, and Best Practices", 2014)

"A copy of a database or table space that can be stored on a different medium and used to restore the database or table space in the event of failure or damage to the original." (Sybase, "Open Server Server-Library/C Reference Manual", 2019)

"Copying data to protect against loss of integrity or availability of the original." (ITIL)