Backing up the Database

The MySQL database used by Tiki contains all of the "data" for your site, including:

• All Tiki feature items (such as wiki pages, articles, polls, and so on)
• Menus and menu options
• Site preferences and settings

Tip: Check with your webhost provider for specific backup instructions.

Using phpMyAdmin

If you use phpMyAdmin, the easiest way to back up your database is to use the Export feature in phpMyAdmin.

The resulting .sql file (or archived format, if you selected zip or gzip format) contains the complete database. With it, you can restore the database.... and your entire Tiki.

Tip: For detailed information on using phpMyAdmin, refer to http://www.phpmyadmin.net.

Using the Command Line

You can also back up your database from a command line by creating. Use the following command to create a dump of the database:

mysqldump DATABSE_NAME > DUMP_FILE

Tip: For detailed information on using mySQL, refer to http://www.mysql.com.

Restoring from a Backup

To restore a backup, you simply import the dump file into your database. The dump file contains the necessary SQL commands to create the database and populate it.

Note: Depending on the size of your database, the SQL transaction may exceed your host's maximum allowed value. You may need to increase the max_execution_time and max_input_time variables in your php.ini file.

Tip: If your host has imposed a runtime limit, you may not be able to import your dump file successfully. You can use BigDump to perform a staggered import in order to restore your database

Using phpMyAdmin

With phpMyAdmin, you can easily restore a database by using the Import feature to import the dump file.


Simply select the backup dump file that you create previously.

From the Command Line

To restore a database from a dump file from the command line, use the following command:

mysql.exe -u DATABASE_USERNAME -p DATABASE_NAME < SQL_BACKUP_FILE

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