Drupal Database Backups for Code Updates
This article was published in the print magazine Drupal Watchdog, Volume 3 Issue 1, , on page 13, by Tag1 Publishing. The magazine was distributed at DrupalCon Portland, .
When updating to the latest version of Drupal core or any module, the first step of update.php ("Verify requirements") includes the advice "Back up your database". Do not ignore this wise practice, because if the update process fails midstream, then it likely will be impossible to revert back to the earlier, working version of the database. Also, after the update process completes successfully, verify that the website works properly, and perform a second database backup, so you will have a good snapshot that corresponds to the new versions of the code.
