Schedule snapshots of a database

A snapshot schedule takes snapshots of a database on a timetable, so each one is taken for you. You choose how often, at what time, and how many scheduled snapshots to keep. Older scheduled snapshots are removed as new ones arrive.

Before you begin

• A database in any status except Terminating or Failed. You can set a schedule while the database is Stopped, too.
• The update and create permissions for DBaaS in the project. See TIR Access Control.

Set the schedule

1. On the database’s details page, open the Snapshots tab and select Schedule Snapshot. The first schedule starts as Daily at 02:00 IST, keeping 7 snapshots.
2. In Snapshot Frequency, choose how often to take a snapshot:
   • Every 6 hours takes a snapshot at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 IST.
   • Daily takes one snapshot a day at the time you set in Run At (IST).
   • Weekly takes one snapshot a week, on the Day of Week you choose, at the time you set in Run At (IST).
   • Custom Cron takes snapshots on a timetable you write as a cron expression.
3. For Daily or Weekly, set Run At (IST) to an hour from 00 to 23 and a minute from 00 to 59. A snapshot adds disk load while it runs, so choose an hour when the database is quiet.
4. For Custom Cron, enter a five-field cron expression in Cron Expression (IST): minute (0–59), hour (0–23), day of month (1–31), month (1–12) and weekday (0–6). For example, 30 7 * * * takes a snapshot every day at 07:30 IST. Once the expression is valid, TIR gives the next three runs so that you can check it.
5. In Snapshots to Keep, enter how many scheduled snapshots to keep, from 1 to 60.
6. Select Schedule Snapshot.

All schedule times are in Indian Standard Time (Asia/Kolkata).

TIR turns automatic snapshots on. The schedule, with its next run, is spelled out above the list on the Snapshots tab and under Automatic Snapshots on the Overview tab.

How scheduled snapshots are taken and kept

• Each scheduled snapshot is listed on the Snapshots tab as Scheduled. On Activity Timeline, it is recorded as “Scheduled snapshot created” by Snapshot schedule.
• A scheduled snapshot is taken only while the database is Running. A run that falls while the database is Stopped is skipped.
• After each scheduled snapshot, the schedule deletes the oldest scheduled snapshots beyond your Snapshots to Keep number.
• The schedule deletes only scheduled snapshots and leaves manual ones in place.

If you lower Snapshots to Keep, the extra scheduled snapshots stay until the next scheduled snapshot, which removes them. To keep the data in a scheduled snapshot that is about to be removed, restore it into a new database first.

Change the schedule

1. On the Snapshots tab, select Edit Schedule.
2. Change the frequency, the time or Snapshots to Keep.
3. Select Save Schedule.

If the new schedule cannot be applied, the old one stays, and you can try again.

Turn the schedule off

1. On the Snapshots tab, select Edit Schedule.
2. Select Turn Off Schedule.

Automatic snapshots stop, and every snapshot already taken is kept. You can open the schedule and turn it off in any database status. When you set a schedule again, it starts from your last settings.

Deleting a database also turns its schedule off. See Delete a database. To take a snapshot now, see Take a snapshot of a database. To bring back data from any snapshot, see Restore a database from a snapshot.