The nzbackup command

Use the nzbackup command to back up a database, including all schema objects and all table data within the database.

You can pass parameters to the nzbackup command directly on the command line, or you can set some parameters as part of your environment. For example, you can set the NZ_USER or NZ_PASSWORD environment variables instead of specifying -u or -pw on the command line.

To back up a database, you must have backup privilege. If you attempt to back up a database in which tables are being reclaimed, the backup process waits until the reclaim finishes.

While a backup is running on a database, users cannot drop a table in that database until the backup completes. The DROP TABLE and GROOM TABLE commands wait (and appear to hang) until the backup finishes. Operations such as an insert or load, or creating or dropping other object types such as view, run without waiting while the backup is in progress. If a GROOM TABLE VERSIONS command runs on a table that is being backed up, the backup process exits with an error and you must restart the backup process.

In rare cases, a system that has many schema objects can cause a backup to fail with a memory limitation. In such cases, you might adjust how you back up your database. For example, if you attempt to back up a database that includes a large number of columns (such as 520,000), you would likely receive an error message that indicates a memory limitation. The memory limitation error can result from a large number or columns or other schema objects. You would likely need to segment your database into multiple databases, each with fewer than 520,000 table columns.