Percona XtraBackup vs. PowerProtect DD Series

Well suited to databases < 10TB. For larger than this, I would go with snapshots.

We have huge data coming in from different sources and also from multiple organizations in our Data centres. This data had multiple copies of the same data and was huge in size therefore, we wanted to have a solution in place which can help us with a good amount of deduplication at the deepest possible level to make sure that our ecosystem does not have multiple copies of the same data and is also efficient at the same time. Having said this, we wanted this solution to be secure and reliable since it had to be exposed to a huge critical set of data in the market. To add, backup and restoration was something that we were also keen on evaluating so that once we have efficient data within our system, the time it takes to backup and restoration also reduces. And all this was justified by this solution when we signed up with them. From the pricing perspective and the implementation side, the solution needs improvement to make it more efficient and user-friendly.

Incentivized

• Non-blocking backup : Backup process will not put any lock on the database.
• Fast recovery : As it's a file level backup so it's quite fast in both backup and recovery.
• Consistent backup : Xtrabackup always ensures consistent backup.
• Easy to configure and Use.
• Integration with clouds

• The deduplication is fantastic. We are currently seeing total compression factors in the mid to upper 50s.
• The platform is very reliable and stable.
• It backs up a wide variety of enterprise apps (e.g. legacy applications, UNIX, iSeries, open systems etc) or your primary storage.

Incentivized

• The only feature that could use some improvement is partial backup restores. For example, I have a multi-tenant database at the schema level running on a single Percona Server instance. As a tenant grows too large for the share instance or becomes a noisy neighbour we need to move a the tenants schema to its own instance with minimal downtime, meaning that we would run the new instance as a replica with replication filters until failover. In terms of doing a consistent backup, there may be challenges and it is currently possible with XtraBackup, but it would be great if the process was simplified and ensured to be consistent.

• It is very slow to restore from. Backup times are great, restores can be terribly slow.
• It doesn't offload to cloud storage natively. You need to purchase an expensive license to enable this feature.
• The management interface is very basic, but it works fine.
• The new air gap solution seems to be just replication an on/off switch. I'd prefer to see them leverage AI on the existing device instead of requiring
• A second device is purchased and securing by toggling the connectivity off.

Incentivized

DD has performed flawlessly for almost 10 years as our backup/recovery storage with offsite replication. Given its track record and great support from EMC, we're unlikely to look elsewhere any time soon.

Incentivized

Takes a bit of getting used to when you first set it up.

Incentivized

I have found PowerProtect DD to be very easy to use. The instructions are clear and the user interface is straightforward. I haven't needed to do any serious data recovery yet, however I found the process of backing up my data through PowerProtect DD to be relatively easy

Incentivized

If you pay for support it is great, otherwise you have to google.

Incentivized

Customer support has had some ups and downs here. We've had several issues with EMC support before and during the acquisition by Dell, but in the last 18 months support has been top notch. Quick and knowledgeable help is but a chat away, or they will call you back so you don't have to wait on hold. The team supporting us is responsive and is quick to assist with any request or issue.

Incentivized

As far as I know, everything with the implementation went very smoothly

Incentivized

We have evaluated Mysqldump and MySQL Enterprise backup. Mysqldump is not a scalable solution. MEB is a paid and closed source. As we are truly open-source, we were looking for an open-source solution that was reliable and scalable. Xtrbackup has all the required features to fulfill our requirements.

I have used NetBackup, CommVault, Tivoli, and Actifio in my previous environments. With Data Domain I am not constantly babysitting my backup to make sure it is not choking and dying and we are not bound by the same channel lane path constraints most backup software and hardware works on. By far the initial cost has been more than made up for with the time not being dedicated to backup.

Incentivized

• Secure, reliable, fast and consistent backups. Open source with zero cost.
• We satisfy our regulatory requirements.

• Data Domain says 20+ hours per week when compared to using a tape library. Once the unit is configured it basically takes care of itself.
• With MTree replication we no longer need to send tapes to an offsite storage facility.
• Having a second data domain at our DR site allows us to perform recoveries from any of our replicated backups. We do not have to order and wait for tapes to arrive.

Incentivized