To back up or dump is to create a copy of a database or transaction log on another device (a dump device). Backups are accomplished by using SQL Enterprise Manager or the DUMP statement.
To restore or load is to load a database from a backup of that database and (if applicable) one or more backups of its transaction log. A load overwrites any information in the database with the backed-up information. Loads are accomplished by using SQL Enterprise Manager or the LOAD statement.
With small databases, the transaction log is usually stored on the same database device as the rest of the database. Backing up a database backs up both the database and the transaction log. After that, you can run the DUMP TRANSACTION WITH TRUNCATE_ONLY command to remove committed transactions from the log.
In large databases, the transaction log (the log portion of the database) and the data portion of the database are usually stored on different devices. In these cases, you can back up the transaction log separately. Dumping only the transaction log uses less storage and takes less time than dumping the database, which backs up both the transaction log and the database. Dumps of the transaction log are usually coordinated with database dumps as part of an overall backup procedure.
Typically, transaction log dumps are done more frequently than database dumps. To restore a database, you load the most recent database dump and then load all the transaction log dumps (in order) made since the database dump. The database is restored to its state at the time of the last transaction log dump.
You should maintain regular backups of all databases, including: