---
esco_uri: http://data.europa.eu/esco/skill/82de2df7-0d6c-42b1-94ac-b3e9a029e917
esco_label: "use back-up and recovery tools"
relation: optional
onet_soc: 15-1242.00
source: model-knowledge
confidence: high
qa_count: 0
generator: gemma3:27b (prompt-designed and spot-checked by Claude)
generated: 2026-07-10
---

# use back-up and recovery tools — Database Administrator

For a Database Administrator (DBA), 'use back-up and recovery tools' isn’t just about hitting a button; it's *proactively* ensuring data survivability. Daily tasks revolve around configuring, monitoring, and testing backup strategies – full, incremental, differential – tailored to Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) defined by the business. This means scripting automated backups with tools like RMAN (Oracle), pg_dump/pg_restore (PostgreSQL), or SQL Server Management Studio’s built-in features.  It also includes regularly validating backup integrity; a backup you can't *restore* is worthless. 

The 'recovery' part gets real when things go wrong: hardware failures, data corruption, accidental deletions, even ransomware attacks. DBAs must be able to quickly diagnose the issue, identify the appropriate recovery point (from backups or transaction logs), and execute a restore procedure – potentially involving point-in-time recovery to minimize data loss.  Tools like Data Guard (Oracle) for standby databases or Always On Availability Groups (SQL Server) are crucial here, enabling faster failover than restoring from tape.

A common pitfall is neglecting backup testing. Many DBAs schedule backups but rarely *verify* they work until a disaster strikes. Another is underestimating storage requirements – backups grow quickly!  Good looks like documented recovery procedures, automated monitoring alerts for failed backups, and regularly practiced disaster recovery drills. It also means understanding the nuances of different recovery models (simple, full, bulk-logged) and choosing the right one for each database.

Finally, modern DBAs increasingly deal with cloud-based databases. This adds complexity – utilizing cloud provider’s backup services (AWS RDS snapshots, Azure SQL Database backups), understanding geo-replication options, and ensuring compliance with data residency regulations are all part of this competence.

## Weitere Anreicherung

Stage-2 source for future practitioner grounding: arXiv cs.SE (software-engineering preprints).
