On Mon, Apr 25, 2005 at 07:09:31 +0200, Duncan Lithgow <duncan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > On Sun, 2005-04-24 at 23:40 -0500, Bruno Wolff III wrote: > > On Sun, Apr 24, 2005 at 23:08:39 +0200, > > Duncan Lithgow <duncan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > > Okay, so different db's store data differently, fair enough, how can i > > > save a copy of the db contents though, and in what format should I do > > > that. > > > > What are you trying to protect against? Normal practice is to either > > do consistant snapshots of the live database using database specific > > tools or shut the database down and do a file system backup. > okay, so how does one do a snapshot? are there opensource tools for > this? Each database will have its own tools for doing a consistant snapshot. Usually this is referred to as making 'hot backups'. Look through the documentation for whatever database software you are using. > I thought they give problems when the data includes commas? Is there > some mechanism I don't understand? If I understand you correctly this > way of taking a snapshot does not preserve structure, only data. So it > would involve some scripting to put it back into a database. Is that > right? You only want to do things this way if you are worried about losing access to the database software you are using, so that it is easier to import your data into another database. If you are using an open source database this isn't going to be an issue as you can do an export if and when you decide to switch products. You still haven't explained what you are trying to accomplish. How valuable is this data? If it has signicant value you may want to hire a DBA/consultant to help you out.
