Backup strategy

OceanBase Database supports the creation of periodic backup strategies, allowing for full backups to be executed at specified intervals. It also supports initiating log backups and automatically cleaning up expired backup files.

Background information

• By default, OceanBase Database uses the user business priority mode for log backup. In scenarios such as large-scale data import and backup media anomalies, when the log backup speed cannot keep up with the log generation speed, logs may be reclaimed, leading to log stream interruption. To ensure Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR), you need to perform data backup again. If you want to ensure PITR, you can contact OceanBase Technical Support to enable the archive priority log backup strategy or increase the log disk space to reduce the likelihood of log reclamation.

• After you enable the backup strategy, the generated data backups and log backups will be stored in the object storage of your corresponding cloud service provider in the specified region. Depending on the object storage billing policies of the cloud service provider, you may need to pay for the storage space of the backup files. Please check your cloud service provider account balance.

  Note

  Instances created before the end of November 2023 need to manually enable the backup feature. New instances created after this date will have the backup strategy enabled by default.

Modify the backup strategy

1. Log in to the OceanBase Cloud console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances.

3. In the instance list, click the name of the target instance to go to the Overview page.

4. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup, and click Modify Backup Strategy in the upper-right corner.

5. On the Modify Backup Strategy page, configure the backup strategy.

   Parameter	Default value	Description
   Backup File Storage Region	Local	The backup file storage region is the city where the current instance is located.
   Data Backup Type	Full	Only full backup is supported.
   Log Backup	Enabled by default	After the backup strategy is configured and enabled, log backup is automatically enabled and cannot be disabled.
   Backup Cycle	The next day at 04:00 AM after the instance is created	You can select the dates for backup and perform backup operations on the specified weekly or monthly dates. For data security, please back up your data at least once a week.
   Backup Time	04:00 AM	You can set the specific backup time in the drop-down list. Please perform backup operations during off-peak hours based on your actual situation. Avoid setting the backup time within the data compaction window (one hour before and after the data compaction time), as this may cause the backup task to be delayed.
   Data Backup Retention Days / PITR Window	7 Days	By default, backup data is retained for 7 days, and you can retain it for 2 to 7,200 days. For more information about the relationship between Backup Cycle and Data Backup Retention Days / PITR Window, see Backup cycle and data backup retention period.
   Archive Backup	Disabled by default	Select the archive backup cycle and retention period. Backup data can be retained for 60 to 7,200 days. For backup files that need to be retained for a long time and restored infrequently, you can enable archive backup to save them. After archive backup is enabled, backup files exceeding the retention period set in the primary backup will be migrated to archive backup. Backup files migrated to archive backup must be stored for at least 60 days. If you disable archive backup midway, you need to make up for the storage cost for the remaining days to reach 60 days. Note Currently, only Alibaba Cloud instances support archive backup, and it is an allowlist feature. To enable it, contact OceanBase Technical Support.
   Remote Backup	Disabled by default	Select the remote backup cycle and retention period. Backup data can be retained for 7 to 7,200 days. Note The backup cycle supports weekly or monthly configuration. Remote primary backup depends on local primary backup. If the local primary backup cycle is not set, remote primary backup cannot be set. Currently, only Alibaba Cloud instances support remote backup, and it is an allowlist feature. To enable it, contact OceanBase Technical Support.
   Sparse Backup	Disabled by default	Select the sparse backup cycle and retention period. You can choose whether to retain log backups. Sparse backup data can be retained for 60 to 7,200 days or indefinitely. Note The backup cycle of sparse backup depends on the primary backup cycle. You can select a date from the dates selected in the primary backup cycle. Currently, only Alibaba Cloud instances support sparse backup, and it is an allowlist feature. To enable it, contact OceanBase Technical Support.
   Backup Retention Strategy upon Instance Release	Retain All Existing Data Backups and Associated Log Backups	Retain All Existing Data Backups and Associated Log Backups: You can view and restore data in the instance recycle bin. The longest retention period is 7 days, after which the backups will be automatically cleaned up. If you need to preserve the backups for a long term, please download and save it in time. Backup retention incurs ongoing charges, and billing will stop after cleanup. For details, see Backup and restore billing. Do Not Retain Backups: The instance cannot be restored once released. Note Backup strategies created after April 8, 2026, will be implemented in accordance with the new rules; the existing strategies will remain unchanged for the time being.

6. Click OK to save the strategy configuration.

Add a logical backup strategy

After you add a physical backup strategy, you can add a logical backup strategy on the backup strategy tab.

1. On the backup strategy tab, click Backup Strategy.

2. In the upper-right corner of the backup strategy tab, click Add Logical Backup Strategy.

3. On the page that appears, configure the parameters of the logical backup strategy and click OK.

   Parameter	Description
   Backup Object	When you select database or table as the database object, logical backup will be performed.
   Source Tenant	Select the target tenant.
   Database Objects	Select databases from the source database area and add them to the backup database area.
   Table Objects	Select tables from the source table area and add them to the backup table area.
   Backup Cycle	You can select the dates for backup and perform backup operations on the specified weekly or monthly dates.
   Backup Time	You can set the specific backup time in the drop-down list. Please perform backup operations during off-peak hours. Avoid setting the backup time within the data compaction window (one hour before and after the data compaction time), as this may cause the backup task to be delayed.

Backup cycle and data backup retention period

Basic concepts

• A backup cycle refers to the time interval between full data backups. It can be weekly, daily, or custom (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). The length of the backup cycle affects the density of backup sets and the granularity of restore.

• The data backup retention period determines the backup lifecycle. It ensures that you can perform Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR) at any time. Backups that exceed the retention period are automatically deleted.

Implementation mechanism

• The backup cycle and data backup retention period together determine the number of data backup sets and the actual retention period of log backups.

• The system retains backup sets based on the correlation between data and logs to ensure that you can perform PITR within the configured time range.

• Data restore typically depends on the most recent data backup before the restore point and the log backups between them. To ensure data can be restored within the retention period, the actual backup retention period may exceed the configured value.

Typical configuration examples

Example 1: Weekly backup

Example 2: Daily backup

Example 3: Backup on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday