A backup is a copy of data. This copy can include important parts of the database, such as the control file and datafiles. A backup is a safeguard against unexpected data loss and application errors. If you lose the original data, then you can reconstruct it by using a backup.

Backups are divided into physical backups and logical backups. Physical backups, which are the primary concern in a backup and recovery strategy, are copies of physical database files. You can make physical backups with either the Recovery Manager (RMAN) utility or operating system utilities. In contrast, logical backups contain logical data (for example, tables and stored procedures) extracted with an Oracle utility and stored in a binary file. You can use logical backups to supplement physical backups.

There are two ways to perform Oracle backup and recovery: Recovery Manager and user-managed backup and recovery.