Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:28:23 +0000 (UTC)
From: felix.quintgz@yahoo.com
To: pgsql-general@lists.postgresql.org
Message-ID: <259609552.3013229.1769632103875@mail.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <5efd76b75e527a6558dd69ba4364699f256a813a.camel@tpg.com.au>
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Subject: Re: About backups
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The application is used in environments where there are no dba; in fact, the requirements specify that a dba cannot have access to the database, so signed records are used, trigger to prevent data changes, protection of protection triggers, etc.
Too many cases of theft.

My role is DBA and developer at my organization, but the application is distributed to other companies. 
The old application has been running unattended for over 15 years without problems in many companies without a DBA. 
The certification body simply said it was written in a very outdated language and revoked its certification. Now I'm reprogramming it in a modern language and with a different database.
Almost all of my work has been with SQL Server and desktop applications.

Cold and hot backups have taken me by surprise. 
In SQL Server, I could perform a backup in the middle of user activity without any problems, so from what I had read about pg_dump, it was the same, but now I have many doubts.

What happens if I start a backup in the middle of a user transaction? 
The transaction can end before or after the backup ends, and it can also start before or after the backup begins.

 On Monday, January 26, 2026 at 10:00:23 PM GMT-5, rob stone <floriparob@tpg.com.au> wrote:
 On Mon, 2026-01-26 at 17:44 +0000, felix.quintgz@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> Any method that allows me to know who accessed the database and when.
>
> This is necessary for auditing the database. It's a requirement for
> financial applications.
> I can't use a table within the database because it gets overwritten
> upon restoration.
>
>
A user has access to the application and logs on. You record that in a
table of successful log-ons. You also need a table of unsuccessful log-
on attempts. E.g, mis-typed password, access window expired, etc.

None of that data is lost when a database restore occurs.
You haven't said if you intend doing hot backups or cold backups.

Have you read Chapter 25 of the documentation?

>I don't have admin access to the database server; in SQL Server, I
>resolved this using signed stored procedures.

Most IT departments have a person known as the DBA. They are involved
in the design of the database to fit the application and after it goes
live are usually responsible for checking the back-ups.
You haven't stated what your role is with the development of this
application.

Rob