Dump and Load Sequences

You can perform cumulative dumps instead of transaction log dumps between full database dumps.

In versions earlier than SAP ASE version 15.7 SP100, a dump sequence typically consisted of a database dump with one or more transaction logs, with the database dump and all transaction logs loaded at the same time, such as in this scenario, where a full database dump is performed once a week:



Using the cumulative dump feature, you can now perform transaction log dumps with cumulative dumps, such as:



For example, you can perform a full database dump once a week on Sundays, with cumulative dumps during the week:

When you perform cumulative dumps, you need only load the most recent cumulative dump on top of its corresponding database dump.

However, you may not always want to perform only cumulative dumps between full database dumps. Consider these issues:

You can use a mixed approach that combines transaction log dumps with cumulative dumps, such as:



If you need to perform a recovery after you obtain Log5 on Saturday, but before you can perform a new full database dump on the following Sunday, using this mixed method allows you to use one of these strategies:

Not all load sequences are allowed when you combine transaction log and cumulative dumps in a strategy. The following table shows the allowable load sequences for this example, where you can load the dumps listed on the left side of the table after the ones listed across the top:
dump database D1
dump tran T1
dump tran T2
dump cumulative C1
dump tran T3
dump tran T4
dump cumulative C2
dump database D2
dump tran T5
dump cumulative C3
Allowable Load Sequences
  D1 T1 T2 C1 T3 T4 C2 D2 T5 C3
D1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
T1 Y                  
T2   Y                
C1 Y Y Y              
T3     Y Y            
T4         Y          
C2 Y Y Y Y Y Y        
D2 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
T5           Y Y Y    
C3               Y Y  

This table does not show the minimal load sequence required. For example, the quickest way to get to a point in time that is the same as the second cumulative dump (C2) is to load D1 and C2, rather than D1, T1, T2, T3, T4, and C2.