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PostgreSQL documentation
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</title>
<para>
- <application>pg_dump</application> is a utility for saving a
- <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database into a script or an
- archive file. The script files are in plain-text format and
- contain the SQL commands required to reconstruct the database to
- the state it was in at the time it was saved. To restore these
- scripts, use <xref linkend="app-psql">. They can be used to
- reconstruct the database even on other machines and other
- architectures, with some modifications even on other SQL database
- products.
+ <application>pg_dump</application> is a utility for backing up a
+ <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database. It makes consistent
+ backups even if the database is being used concurrently.
+ <application>pg_dump</application> does not block other users
+ accessing the database (readers or writers).
</para>
<para>
- Furthermore, there are alternative archive file formats
- that are meant to be used with <xref linkend="app-pgrestore"> to
- rebuild the database, and they also allow
- <application>pg_restore</application> to be selective about what is
- restored, or even to reorder the items prior to being restored. The
- archive files are also designed to be portable across
+ Dumps can be output in script or archive file formats. The script
+ files are in plain-text format and contain the SQL commands required
+ to reconstruct the database to the state it was in at the time it was
+ saved. To restore these scripts, use <xref linkend="app-psql">. They
+ can be used to reconstruct the database even on other machines and
+ other architectures, with some modifications even on other SQL
+ database products.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The alternative archive file formats that are meant to be used with
+ <xref linkend="app-pgrestore"> to rebuild the database, and they also
+ allow <application>pg_restore</application> to be selective about
+ what is restored, or even to reorder the items prior to being
+ restored. The archive files are also designed to be portable across
architectures.
</para>
<para>
When used with one of the archive file formats and combined with
- <application>pg_restore</application>, <application>pg_dump</application> provides a
- flexible archival and
+ <application>pg_restore</application>,
+ <application>pg_dump</application> provides a flexible archival and
transfer mechanism. <application>pg_dump</application> can be used to
- backup an entire database, then <application>pg_restore</application> can
- be used to examine the archive and/or select which parts of the
- database are to be restored.
- The most flexible output file format is the <quote>custom</quote>
- format (<option>-Fc</option>). It allows for selection and
- reordering of all archived items, and is compressed by default. The
- <application>tar</application> format (<option>-Ft</option>) is not
- compressed and it is not possible to reorder data when loading, but
- it is otherwise quite flexible; moreover, it can be manipulated with
- other tools such as <command>tar</command>.
+ backup an entire database, then <application>pg_restore</application>
+ can be used to examine the archive and/or select which parts of the
+ database are to be restored. The most flexible output file format is
+ the <quote>custom</quote> format (<option>-Fc</option>). It allows
+ for selection and reordering of all archived items, and is compressed
+ by default. The <application>tar</application> format
+ (<option>-Ft</option>) is not compressed and it is not possible to
+ reorder data when loading, but it is otherwise quite flexible;
+ moreover, it can be manipulated with other tools such as
+ <command>tar</command>.
</para>
<para>
light of the limitations listed below.
</para>
- <para>
- <application>pg_dump</application> makes consistent backups even if the
- database is being used concurrently. <application>pg_dump</application>
- does not block other users accessing the database (readers or
- writers).
- </para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 id="pg-dump-options">