RECOVER

The RECOVER utility restores a table space from image copies and DB2 logs. It is the utility you run when data is lost, corrupted, or logically damaged - it brings the table space back to the current point or to an earlier point in time.

What is RECOVER

• RECOVER restores table spaces or indexes from image copies taken by the COPY utility.
• It finds the needed copies automatically from the SYSIBM.SYSCOPY catalog table.
• After restoring the copy, it applies log records to roll the data forward to the requested point.
• You can recover a whole table space, a single partition, or a list of table spaces together.
• RECOVER INDEX rebuilds an index from the table data when the index alone is damaged.

How RECOVER works

• First it restores the most recent full image copy of the table space.
• Then it applies any incremental copies taken after that full copy.
• Finally it applies DB2 log records to bring the data up to the current point in time.
• The table space is unavailable to applications while recovery runs.
• Always verify the recovery by running CHECK DATA and checking row counts afterwards.

Point-in-time recovery

• TOCOPY recovers to the point of a specific image copy.
• TORBA or TOLOGPOINT recovers to an exact log position, for example just before a bad batch job ran.
• Recovering to a quiesce point is safest - take a QUIESCE before critical jobs so you have a clean point to return to.
• After a point-in-time recovery, the table space is left in RECOVER pending status until follow-up steps complete.
• Point-in-time recovery of one table space can break referential integrity with related tables - check them too.

Example of a RECOVER control statement:-