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Databases & SQL vocabulary · Backup, Replication and Scaling

Dump

Meaning in databases & SQL, with examples

/dʌmp/nounCommon term

In databases & SQL, dump means: A file that contains a database's structure and data written out as SQL statements or in a special export format, which can be loaded into another database.

In Turkish: döküm, dump, mantıksal yedek

How it is used

Created with tools such as pg_dump and mysqldump; this is a logical backup, as opposed to a physical copy of data files. 'Dump' is also a verb: 'dump the database', 'dump a table to CSV'. Dumps are handy for moving data between versions or environments.

Example sentences

  1. Send me a dump of the test database without the customer emails.

  2. A full dump of this database takes three hours to restore.

Common collocations

  • create a dump
  • database dump
  • SQL dump
  • load a dump
  • pg_dump
  • backupA copy of a database saved at a certain moment so that the data can be brought back after a failure, a mistake or an attack.
  • restoreTo bring a database back from a backup, either to fix data loss or to create a copy of it on another server.
  • migrationA versioned script that changes a database schema in a controlled way, or, more broadly, a project to move data from one database or system to another.
  • point-in-time recoveryRestoring a database to its exact state at a chosen moment, such as one minute before a bad DELETE, by replaying saved change logs on top of a backup.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Backup, Replication and Scaling

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