MySQL Dump Backup Explained

In MySQL, the mysqldump command is used to export both the data and structure of a database to a file, which can be used for backing up data or transferring data to another database. The mysqldump command essentially exports the contents of the database into a file by executing a series of SQL statements.

Specifically, mysqldump initially runs a SHOW CREATE DATABASE statement to obtain the database’s creation code, followed by a SHOW CREATE TABLE statement to obtain the creation code for each table. It then executes a series of SELECT statements to retrieve the data from the tables. Finally, these SQL statements are written to a text file, which serves as the backup file.

When restoring a backup, you can use the mysql command to execute the SQL statements in the backup file, thereby recreating the database and tables, and inserting the data into the corresponding tables.

In general, the principle behind mysqldump backup is to export the structure and data of a database into a file by executing a series of SQL statements, and then restore the data by executing these SQL statements.