About backups
Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?
Thank you very much.
Regards
Félix
Import Notes
Reference msg id not found: 1730736265.4259921.1769443263077.ref@mail.yahoo.com
On Mon, 2026-01-26 at 16:01 +0000, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Probably not. What does it do?
Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Maybe your backup system has a log?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Judging from the name, no.
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?
I don't think so.
Different database management system work in different ways, sorry.
Yours,
Laurenz Albe
On 1/26/26 08:01, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Not from within the Postgres instance.
You will need to use:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/app-pgdump.html
Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?
From what I understand there are various ways of doing this in SQL
Server, which way are you interested in?
Thank you very much.
RegardsFélix
--
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 11:11 AM Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@aklaver.com>
wrote:
On 1/26/26 08:01, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Not from within the Postgres instance.
You will need to use:
Felix,
pg_dump is a *logical export* tuned for speed and multithreading. Almost
certainly not what you want.
pgbackrest is the equivalent of BACKUP DATABASE and BACKUP LOG. It's an
external program (stuffing everything in the database engine is not The
Unix Way) which typically you run from cron. Redrirect stdout and stderr to
a log file with a timestamp in the name. (That, at least, is what I've
been doing for 8 years. It works perfectly.)
pgbackrest also has an "info" option which gives you details of all the
backups currently in the repository.
Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?From what I understand there are various ways of doing this in SQL
Server, which way are you interested in?
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.
Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
Any method that allows me to know who accessed the database and when.
This is necessary for auditing the database. It's a requirement for financial applications.
I can't use a table within the database because it gets overwritten upon restoration.
I don't have admin access to the database server; in SQL Server, I resolved this using signed stored procedures.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 11:10:50 AM GMT-5, Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@aklaver.com> wrote:
On 1/26/26 08:01, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Not from within the Postgres instance.
You will need to use:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/app-pgdump.html
Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?
From what I understand there are various ways of doing this in SQL
Server, which way are you interested in?
Thank you very much.
RegardsFélix
--
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com
I'm having a problem with this. I'm repurposing an old application written in Visual Basic 6 that did allow backups through signed stored procedures.
This is a requirement for financial applications; the user can perform a backup whenever they want, but they can't access the database.
The new application is web-based, deployed in containers, and the database server container is not the same as the application's, so I can't use pg_dump in the application, or at least I don't know how to do it.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 12:31:48 PM GMT-5, Ron Johnson <ronljohnsonjr@gmail.com> wrote:
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 11:11 AM Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@aklaver.com> wrote:
On 1/26/26 08:01, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Not from within the Postgres instance.
You will need to use:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/app-pgdump.html
Felix, pg_dump is a logical export tuned for speed and multithreading. Almost certainly not what you want.
pgbackrest is the equivalent of BACKUP DATABASE and BACKUP LOG. It's an external program (stuffing everything in the database engine is not The Unix Way) which typically you run from cron. Redrirect stdout and stderr to a log file with a timestamp in the name. (That, at least, is what I've been doing for 8 years. It works perfectly.)
pgbackrest also has an "info" option which gives you details of all the backups currently in the repository. >
Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?
From what I understand there are various ways of doing this in SQL
Server, which way are you interested in?
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
On Jan 26, 2026, at 09:52, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
I'm having a problem with this. I'm repurposing an old application written in Visual Basic 6 that did allow backups through signed stored procedures.
This is a requirement for financial applications; the user can perform a backup whenever they want, but they can't access the database.
The new application is web-based, deployed in containers, and the database server container is not the same as the application's, so I can't use pg_dump in the application, or at least I don't know how to do it.
There is currently no supported way of backing up a PostgreSQL database via an SQL command. You could, in theory, use the COPY command to dump each individual table, but that's probably not what you are looking for (since it would also require a fairly sophisticated restore process).
pg_dump can run in the application container, and connect to the database in the database container, just like the application does. There's no requirement that pg_dump run on the database host. That's probably the best direction in this case.
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 12:52 PM <felix.quintgz@yahoo.com> wrote:
I'm having a problem with this. I'm repurposing an old application written
in Visual Basic 6 that did allow backups through signed stored procedures.
You must change your expectations and way of thinking. *Postgresql is not
SQL Server*, and thus cannot be managed the same way as SQL Server. That
is a fact of life which you must accept.
This is a requirement for financial applications; the user can perform a
backup whenever they want, but they can't access the database.
"ssh to a Linux account dedicated to pgbackrest" within the application is
my first thought. Note, though, that pgbackrest does not have BACKUP
DATABASE's COPY_ONLY feature. If you need that, pg_dump is your
only option.
The new application is web-based, deployed in containers, and the database
server container is not the same as the application's, so I can't use
pg_dump in the application, or at least I don't know how to do it.On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 12:31:48 PM GMT-5, Ron Johnson <
ronljohnsonjr@gmail.com> wrote:On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 11:11 AM Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@aklaver.com>
wrote:
On 1/26/26 08:01, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Not from within the Postgres instance.
You will need to use:https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/app-pgdump.html
Felix, pg_dump is a logical export tuned for speed and multithreading.
Almost certainly not what you want.
pgbackrest is the equivalent of BACKUP DATABASE and BACKUP LOG. It's an
external program (stuffing everything in the database engine is not The
Unix Way) which typically you run from cron. Redrirect stdout and stderr to
a log file with a timestamp in the name. (That, at least, is what I've
been doing for 8 years. It works perfectly.)
pgbackrest also has an "info" option which gives you details of all the
backups currently in the repository. >Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?
From what I understand there are various ways of doing this in SQL
Server, which way are you interested in?
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.
Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
Can I copy pg_dump directly into the container?
Or is there an installer just for the PostgreSQL utilities?
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 01:04:17 PM GMT-5, Christophe Pettus <xof@thebuild.com> wrote:
On Jan 26, 2026, at 09:52, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
I'm having a problem with this. I'm repurposing an old application written in Visual Basic 6 that did allow backups through signed stored procedures.
This is a requirement for financial applications; the user can perform a backup whenever they want, but they can't access the database.
The new application is web-based, deployed in containers, and the database server container is not the same as the application's, so I can't use pg_dump in the application, or at least I don't know how to do it.
There is currently no supported way of backing up a PostgreSQL database via an SQL command. You could, in theory, use the COPY command to dump each individual table, but that's probably not what you are looking for (since it would also require a fairly sophisticated restore process).
pg_dump can run in the application container, and connect to the database in the database container, just like the application does. There's no requirement that pg_dump run on the database host. That's probably the best direction in this case.
I can't change my expectations. It's either you do it or I won't certify you, and you won't be able to use the application.
That's how a certification body works, and there's nothing I can do about it.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 01:23:05 PM GMT-5, Ron Johnson <ronljohnsonjr@gmail.com> wrote:
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 12:52 PM <felix.quintgz@yahoo.com> wrote:I'm having a problem with this. I'm repurposing an old application written in Visual Basic 6 that did allow backups through signed stored procedures.
You must change your expectations and way of thinking. Postgresql is not SQL Server, and thus cannot be managed the same way as SQL Server. That is a fact of life which you must accept. This is a requirement for financial applications; the user can perform a backup whenever they want, but they can't access the database.
"ssh to a Linux account dedicated to pgbackrest" within the application is my first thought. Note, though, that pgbackrest does not have BACKUP DATABASE's COPY_ONLY feature. If you need that, pg_dump is your only option.
The new application is web-based, deployed in containers, and the database server container is not the same as the application's, so I can't use pg_dump in the application, or at least I don't know how to do it.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 12:31:48 PM GMT-5, Ron Johnson <ronljohnsonjr@gmail.com> wrote:
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 11:11 AM Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@aklaver.com> wrote:
On 1/26/26 08:01, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Is there a way to implement the SQL Server command 'BACKUP DATABASE'?
Not from within the Postgres instance.
You will need to use:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/app-pgdump.html
Felix, pg_dump is a logical export tuned for speed and multithreading. Almost certainly not what you want.
pgbackrest is the equivalent of BACKUP DATABASE and BACKUP LOG. It's an external program (stuffing everything in the database engine is not The Unix Way) which typically you run from cron. Redrirect stdout and stderr to a log file with a timestamp in the name. (That, at least, is what I've been doing for 8 years. It works perfectly.)
pgbackrest also has an "info" option which gives you details of all the backups currently in the repository. >
Is there a way to see the restores performed on a database?
Is there an equivalent table to msdb.dbo.restorehistory in SQL Server?
Is there a way to implement an equivalent if one doesn't exist?
From what I understand there are various ways of doing this in SQL
Server, which way are you interested in?
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
On Jan 26, 2026, at 10:30, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Can I copy pg_dump directly into the container?
Or is there an installer just for the PostgreSQL utilities?
The postgresql-client-18 (or whichever version you are using) has the client utilities but not the server.
On Jan 26, 2026, at 10:37, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
I can't change my expectations. It's either you do it or I won't certify you, and you won't be able to use the application.
That's how a certification body works, and there's nothing I can do about it.
Can you articulate the specific requirement? I assume it's not "the database can be backed up completely by issuing an SQL command." If we know what the precise requirement is, we might be able to provide more specific guidance.
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 1:42 PM Christophe Pettus <xof@thebuild.com> wrote:
On Jan 26, 2026, at 10:37, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
I can't change my expectations. It's either you do it or I won't certify
you, and you won't be able to use the application.
That's how a certification body works, and there's nothing I can do
about it.
Can you articulate the specific requirement? I assume it's not "the
database can be backed up completely by issuing an SQL command."
But it is! That's exactly how you -- and IIRC *the only* way to -- backup
SQL Server databases (typically from Agent, which is like pg_cron but much
more featureful, and completely integrated into SSMS and SQL Server).
Every CLI or GUI method of doing a backup calls BACKUP DATABASE and/or
BACKUP LOG behind the scenes.
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.
Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
A full database backup is the requirement. A database restore is optional, but that's negotiable; the backup is not.
All of this must be done without access to the server or the database itself, solely through the application, and the user must have the necessary permissions within the application.
The postgresql-client option is probably the right one.
I still have the restore history part to do, but the main thing is the backup.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 01:42:55 PM GMT-5, Christophe Pettus <xof@thebuild.com> wrote:
On Jan 26, 2026, at 10:37, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
I can't change my expectations. It's either you do it or I won't certify you, and you won't be able to use the application.
That's how a certification body works, and there's nothing I can do about it.
Can you articulate the specific requirement? I assume it's not "the database can be backed up completely by issuing an SQL command." If we know what the precise requirement is, we might be able to provide more specific guidance.
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 2:25 PM <felix.quintgz@yahoo.com> wrote:
A full database backup is the requirement. A database restore is optional,
but that's negotiable;
Lol that's a big fat fail.
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.
Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
I stopped arguing with the bureaucracy many years ago; I never won.
If they want a 10,000-page report, they'll get it, and that last part was a real case that happened to me.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 02:30:40 PM GMT-5, Ron Johnson <ronljohnsonjr@gmail.com> wrote:
On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 2:25 PM <felix.quintgz@yahoo.com> wrote:
A full database backup is the requirement. A database restore is optional, but that's negotiable;
Lol that's a big fat fail.
--
Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce.Don't boil me, I'm still alive.
<Redacted> lobster!
On 1/26/26 11:24, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
A full database backup is the requirement. A database restore is optional, but that's negotiable; the backup is not.
All of this must be done without access to the server or the database itself, solely through the application, and the user must have the necessary permissions within the application.The postgresql-client option is probably the right one.
FYI, in Postgres 17+ you have in the client program pg_basebackup the
option to do incremental backups.
In addition there are third party tools that offer more options for backups:
I still have the restore history part to do, but the main thing is the backup.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 01:42:55 PM GMT-5, Christophe Pettus <xof@thebuild.com> wrote:
On Jan 26, 2026, at 10:37, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
I can't change my expectations. It's either you do it or I won't certify you, and you won't be able to use the application.
That's how a certification body works, and there's nothing I can do about it.Can you articulate the specific requirement? I assume it's not "the database can be backed up completely by issuing an SQL command." If we know what the precise requirement is, we might be able to provide more specific guidance.
--
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com
On Jan 26, 2026, at 11:24, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
A full database backup is the requirement. A database restore is optional, but that's negotiable; the backup is not.
All of this must be done without access to the server or the database itself, solely through the application, and the user must have the necessary permissions within the application.
In that case, running pg_dump on the application server is probably the way to go. pg_dump can produce a single file that can be used to do a full restore, and it's smaller than an equivalent bindary backup (since it includes index definitions, but not the contents of the index itself). Of course, if it's a 100GB database, you'll end up with a huge file no matter what, but nothing to do about that.
Thank you all so much.
With what they've given me, I can continue in my job.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 03:02:45 PM GMT-5, Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@aklaver.com> wrote:
On 1/26/26 11:24, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
A full database backup is the requirement. A database restore is optional, but that's negotiable; the backup is not.
All of this must be done without access to the server or the database itself, solely through the application, and the user must have the necessary permissions within the application.The postgresql-client option is probably the right one.
FYI, in Postgres 17+ you have in the client program pg_basebackup the
option to do incremental backups.
In addition there are third party tools that offer more options for backups:
I still have the restore history part to do, but the main thing is the backup.
On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 01:42:55 PM GMT-5, Christophe Pettus <xof@thebuild.com> wrote:
On Jan 26, 2026, at 10:37, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
I can't change my expectations. It's either you do it or I won't certify you, and you won't be able to use the application.
That's how a certification body works, and there's nothing I can do about it.Can you articulate the specific requirement? I assume it's not "the database can be backed up completely by issuing an SQL command." If we know what the precise requirement is, we might be able to provide more specific guidance.
--
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com
On Mon, 2026-01-26 at 17:44 +0000, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
Any method that allows me to know who accessed the database and when.
This is necessary for auditing the database. It's a requirement for
financial applications.
I can't use a table within the database because it gets overwritten
upon restoration.
A user has access to the application and logs on. You record that in a
table of successful log-ons. You also need a table of unsuccessful log-
on attempts. E.g, mis-typed password, access window expired, etc.
None of that data is lost when a database restore occurs.
You haven't said if you intend doing hot backups or cold backups.
Have you read Chapter 25 of the documentation?
I don't have admin access to the database server; in SQL Server, I
resolved this using signed stored procedures.
Most IT departments have a person known as the DBA. They are involved
in the design of the database to fit the application and after it goes
live are usually responsible for checking the back-ups.
You haven't stated what your role is with the development of this
application.
Rob
