About snapshots

A snapshot represents a consistent view of the state of the data files at a specific point in time. By taking a snapshot, you can capture the state of the data files without shutting down the Dgraph process for a particular data store.

When you create a snapshot, the specified Endeca data store identifies the set of files that comprise a version of the data files, and captures the state of the system as it exists at that moment.

A backup operation without taking the snapshot would involve the need to stop the Dgraph process and copy its data files, which can take a long time. In contrast, you can create a snapshot while the Endeca data store is active and the Dgraph process is handling updates and queries, without downtime. After a snapshot is complete, you can plan and create a backup at your convenience.

A snapshot contains all the files needed to restore the data store to a specific state.

To create a snapshot, you issue a request to the Dgraph process for that particular data store through createSnapshotOperation in the Administration Web Service.

After you take the snapshot, you can back up the state in a manner compatible with your archiving strategy, whether you have an elaborate backup infrastructure or a simpler solution based on CIFS or NFS protocols.

If the need arises, you can restore data files from a snapshot with the cpmdex command.