DBMS: Differential Backup (Definitions)

"A database backup that records only pages that have changed in the database since the last full database backup. A differential backup is smaller and faster to restore than a full backup and has minimal effect on performance." (Microsoft Corporation, "SQL Server 7.0 System Administration Training Kit", 1999)

"This type of database backup records only those changes made to the database since the last full database backup. A differential backup is smaller, and is faster to restore than a full backup and has minimal effect on performance." (Anthony Sequeira & Brian Alderman, "The SQL Server 2000 Book", 2003)

"A type of database backup that only backs up changes made to the database since the last full database backup." (Allan Hirt et al, "Microsoft SQL Server 2000 High Availability", 2004)

"This is a type of backup that backs up changes to the database only since the last full backup was made." (Joseph L Jorden & Dandy Weyn, "MCTS Microsoft SQL Server 2005: Implementation and Maintenance Study Guide - Exam 70-431", 2006)

"A backup type that backs up all the changes since the last full backup. Since the differential backup only backs up the changes, it can be done much quicker than a full backup. A possible backup strategy might include performing a full backup once a week and doing differential backups daily." (Darril Gibson, "MCITP SQL Server 2005 Database Developer All-in-One Exam Guide", 2008)

"A backup containing only changes made to the database since the preceding data backup on which the differential backup is based." (Microsoft, "SQL Server 2012 Glossary", 2012)

"A database backup operation that copies only the database pages that have been modified since the last full database backup." (Mark Rhodes-Ousley, "Information Security: The Complete Reference, Second Edition" 2nd Ed., 2013)

"Like an incremental backup, but only backs up files with the archive bit set—files that have changed since the last backup. Unlike the incremental backup, however, it does not reset the archive bit. Each differential backup backs up all files that have changed since the last backup that reset the bits. Using this strategy, a full backup is followed by differential backups. A restore consists of restoring the full backup and then only the last differential backup made." (Mark Rhodes-Ousley, "Information Security: The Complete Reference, Second Edition, 2nd Ed.", 2013)

"A backup operation that backs up all files that have the archive attribute set to On but does not change that attribute." (Faithe Wempen, "Computing Fundamentals: Introduction to Computers", 2015)

[delta backup:] "A copy of all database data that has changed since the last successful backup (full, incremental, or delta) of the table space in question. A delta backup is also known as a differential, or noncumulative, backup image. The predecessor of a delta backup image is the most recent successful backup that contains a copy of each of the table spaces in the delta backup image." (Sybase, "Open Server Server-Library/C Reference Manual", 2019)