Significant difference between Admin db backup & phpMyAdmin sql backup

[Citizen_K]

So, (if the topic is not enough self explanatory):

I found out that backing up the database through the Admin panel,

creates a file which is twice the size of the same backup, if done

with phpMyAdmin export option.

 

I didn't notice any difference between restoring of each, though.

 

Nevertheless, and since I prefer using phpMyAdmin, I'm afraid that

I'm missing something, and maybe it will be too late when I will

find out the missing info.

 

Does anyone have any idea of the reason for this difference in the backup file size?

 

thanks...

[Jack_mcs]

It is just how the file is formatted. Using phpmyadmin is the preferred of the two but both will work.

[Jan Zonjee]

Does anyone have any idea of the reason for this difference in the backup file size?

The big difference is that the admin backup uses one line for each entry in a table and phpMyAdmin uses perhaps hundreds of entries for one line:

 

Something like this for osC:

 

imsert into table X values (x, y, z);
insert into table X values (x1, y1, z1);
insert into table X values (x2, y2, z2);
insert into table X values (x3, y3, z3);

 

And phpMyAdmin:

 

insert into table X values  (x, y, z), (x1, y1, z1), (x2, y2, z2), (x3, y3, z3);

 

Both will work although the backup size for osC is larger and the restoring will take longer (more commands).

[Citizen_K]

Thank you both, that sounds like a real "all clear" signal,

 

However, having an indepth-look at the backup files contents,

I found out that the Admin backup contains much less lines

then the phpMyAdmin backup file.

Almost half the number of lines!

 

And since it's a bigger file, the average line is much longer

and that opposes what was said below.

 

I wouldn't be happy to populate the files here, but I think everyone

can evidence it with their own files, and besides, I'm only asking

for an opinion about the reason for this confict.

 

??

[Jan Zonjee]

I found out that the Admin backup contains much less lines

then the phpMyAdmin backup file.

Almost half the number of lines!

The osC backup doesn't backup two tables (sessions and whos_onine). Those are files that really shouldn't be restored so no need to backup either.

 

That could explain the number of lines difference. The average line length should be shorter for the osC backup or at least equal (if phpMyAdmin does the backup in the same way as osC - I guess that might be a setting in phpMyAdmin).

[Citizen_K]

Thanks again.

I'll stick to the phpMyAdmin backup.