> With Oracle you have the option of EITHER exporting the database
> (equivalent to doing pg_dump) OR taking the database offline and carrying
> out a file system level copy of the database files.
OR putting the tablespaces in hot backup mode and carrying out a file
system level copy of the database files, which is the option I certainly
prefer. :)
> Recovery can be accomplished by either restoring the backup
> database files or creating a new database by importing the most
> recent export/dump file.
> After that you apply the archive logs (equivalent to WAL segments)
> to bring your database up to date.
You can't do that with an export in Oracle. Archive logs are only useful
to apply to a cold or hot backup of the data files.
Export with Postgres works about the same as with Oracle. It's the lack
of well-supported hot backups in Postgres that are the limitation.
> One caveat for Oracle (at least in 8.1.x) is that DDL statements
> are not recorded in the archive logs, and can screw things up.
> Best to take a new export/dump after making DDL changes!
I've not heard that one. That would make hot standby databases a serious
maintenance problem. :)