As I mentioned at the end of my previous post on backing up a blog, any backup is only as good as your ability to restore the data from the backup. If the backup medium (e.g., tape, disc, disk) has been damaged or if the data has been corrupted, the backup is useless. So, it follows that a proper backup plan must include periodic tests of the backups made to ensure that a successful restoration is indeed possible.
So, after installing the BackUpWordPress plugin and taking a backup of this blog with it the first thing I did was a test restore. For my test I downloaded WampServer, a prepackaged web server that you can easily install on your own PC. After doing the slam-dunk-easy installation I then tested my restore plan.
First, I downloaded my backup from the BackUpWordPress dashboard in WordPress. Then, on my own PC I created a new MySQL database using phpMyAdmin which is included with WampServer. No sweat. Next, I imported the database from from the BackUpWordPress backup using phpMyAdmin. Easy.
The only complication in my test was that I also had to create a database user in my WampServer MySQL DB. This simply required opening my wp-config.php file and retrieving the username and password. This procedure is necessary because when you (or your web designer) sets up a WordPress site one step of the process is creating a DB user on your server. That’s something that cannot be included in the backup.
After I’d created my DB user I had a copy of my new blog running on my local PC – proof positive that my backup/restore procedure works.