You can configure ThoughtSpot to backup automatically at specified times. The policy allows you to control the type, frequency, retention periods (first-in-first-out), and output location for a periodic backup.

A periodic backup uses the same steps as creating a backup manually. However, you do not have to specify a snapshot name, the system uses the most recent backup. You can backup to a local file system or mount a NAS (network attached storage) file system to hold the backup. A NAS is recommended. Make sure you have adequate space to store the number of backups you want to archive.

Default policy format

The format for a policy includes the following:

name: "name_for_backup"
param {
    mode: FULL | DATALESS | LIGHTWEIGHT
    type: STANDALONE
}
schedule {
    period {
      number: integer
      unit: MINUTE | HOUR | DAY
    }
    retention_policy {
          time {
          number: integer  
          unit:  MINUTE | HOUR | DAY
        }
        capacity: integer
      }
  }
  offset_minutes_from_sunday_midnight: integer
}
directory: "NAME"
storage_type: NAS | LOCAL  

Before you begin

Before creating a policy, make sure you have read Understand backup/snapshot schedules for information on configuring a schedule element. In addition, you must specify:

Element	Description
mode	The backup mode. FULL backups are necessary for restoring a cluster. See Work with backups for details on each backup mode.
type	Currently, only STANDALONE is supported.
directory	The location on the disk to place the backup.
storage_type	The type of storage you are using. NAS storage is recommended for FULL backups.

Create a backup policy

Backups cannot start when another backup is still running. So, choose a reasonable frequency for the mode in you policy. For example, a FULL backup takes longer than a DATALESS backup. Consider the load on the system when configuring. Do not backup up when the system would experience a heavy load. For example, you may want to take FULL backups late in the evening or on weekends.

The retention system deletes the oldest stored backup and the corresponding snapshot on a first-in-first-out basis (FIFO). This means that if you set a bucket retention of 1 the system stores a single backup at any one time. The system deletes the older backup after the new full backup is successful.

Configure using tscli

To configure periodic backups using the tscli:

1. Log in to the Linux shell using SSH.

2. Find a directory with enough disk space to support the retention_policy number you configure.

   You can use df -h to see free disk space and tscli snapshot ls to view existing snapshots and their size on disk.

3. Use the tscli backup-policy create command.

   The command opens a vi editor for you to configure the backup policy.

4. Write and save the file to store your configuration.

   By default, newly created policies are automatically enabled. To disable a policy, use the tscli backup-policy disable command.

5. Verify the policy using the tscli backup periodic-config <name> command.

Doing more with backup

The following table lists some additional backup commands you can use.

To	Command
List present backup policies.	tscli backup-policy ls
Show a backup policy.	tscli backup-policy show <name>
Check the status of a policy.	tscli backup-policy status <name>
Change an existing policy.	tscli backup-policy update <name>
Disable or enable an existing policy.	tscli backup-policy disable or enable
Delete a policy	tscli backup-policy delete <name>

Finally, you can time a crontab job with your periodic backup configuration to move a backup to longer term storage. Simply create a crontab job that moves the backup to a location outside of the directory defined in the periodic schedule.