Chapter 11

Configuring off-host processing

Off-host processing allows you to implement the following activities:

Data backup

As the requirement for 24 x 7 availability becomes essential

 

for many businesses, organizations cannot afford the

 

downtime involved in backing up critical data offline. By

 

taking a snapshot of the data, and backing up from this

 

snapshot, business-critical applications can continue to run

 

without extended down time or impacted performance.

Decision support analysis

Because snapshots hold a point-in-time copy of a

and reporting

production database, a replica of the database can be set up

 

using the snapshots. Operations such as decision support

 

analysis and business reporting do not require access to up-

 

to-the-minute information. This means that they can use a

 

database copy that is running on a host other than the

 

primary. When required, the database copy can quickly be

 

synchronized with the data in the primary database.

Testing and training

Development or service groups can use snapshots as test

 

data for new applications. Snapshot data provides

 

developers, system testers and QA groups with a realistic

 

basis for testing the robustness, integrity and performance

 

of new applications.

Database error recovery

Logic errors caused by an administrator or an application

 

program can compromise the integrity of a database. By

 

restoring the database table files from a snapshot copy, the

 

database can be recovered more quickly than by full

 

restoration from tape or other backup media.