Difference Between Sync and Backup

The main difference between sync and backup is that the sync is a synchronization process that helps to obtain data consistency among multiple databases while a backup is a copy of data that helps to restore the database when a failure occurs.

Data is important to every organization. Database Management Systems (DBMS) is a software that is used to manage databases. A database is a collection of tables with data. DBMS allow storing, retrieving and manipulating data in the databases. MySQL and, MSSQL are some examples of DBMS. They allow organizing a large collection of data. Sync and Backup are two terms related to Database Management Systems. Sync is a synchronization process. A backup is a copy of the existing data.  

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Sync
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Backup
     – Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between Sync and Backup
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Backup, Drop Database Synchronization, Insert Database Synchronization, Logical Backup, Mixed Database Synchronization, Physical Backup, Sync, Update Database Synchronization

What is Sync

Sync is a synchronization process that helps to maintain the data consistency between two or more databases.  It is done by copying the changes back and forth. This data synchronization process happens continuously.  There are various types of synchronizations.

Insert Database Synchronization

New records of the source table transfer to the destination table if there are no appropriate records in destination table with identical primary key values.

Update Database Synchronization

When any kind of change occurs in the source database, the appropriate changes occur in the destination database. It compares the record values first, and the changed records will be replaced in the destination tables.  Update synchronization allows making the data up to date.

Drop Database Synchronization

When the records of the source database are deleted, the corresponding records of the destination database are also deleted.

Mixed Database Synchronization

This synchronization is a combination of insert, update and drop synchronization. Assume that there are multiple changes in the source table such as adding new records, updating and deleting existing records. These changes should be reflected in the destination database as well. Mixed database synchronization performs all these changes. Therefore, it is a collection of the above three types.   

What is Backup

A backup is a copy of data. It includes important elements of a database such as control files and data files. There can be unexpected failures in databases. Therefore, it is a better solution to keep a backup of the database. Keeping backups increases the recovery speed.

There are two major types of backups as physical backups and logical backups. The physical backups are the copies of physical database files such as data files, control files, archived redo logs and log files. It is a copy of the file that stores database information to some other location.

The logical backup type is the logical database files. Those backups contain the logical data which is extracted from a database. These logical data can be views, functions, tables, procedures, etc. Only taking logical backups is not very beneficial because they only provide the structural information.

Difference Between Sync and Backup

Definition

Sync is the synchronization process that helps to establish data consistency between two or more databases, automatically copying changes back and forth. Backup is a copy of data that can be used to restore the original after a data loss event occurs.

Usage

While sync is a synchronization process that helps to maintain the data consistency between multiple databases, backup helps to restore the database again when a failure occurs.

Conclusion

Sync and Backup are two terms associated with DBMS. The difference between sync and backup is that the sync is a synchronization process that helps to obtain data consistency among multiple databases while a backup is a copy of data that helps to restore the database when a failure occurs.

Reference:

1. “What Is Database Synchronization?” DBConvert, Available here.
2. “Database Backup and Recovery.” Database Decomposition, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Applications-database” By dracos –  (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia