Restoring data using a differential backup typically requires which of the following data sets?

Restoring data using a differential backup typically requires which of the following data sets?

• A. The Last Full Backup and the Latest Differential
• B. The Last Full Backup and All Incremental Backups Since Then
• C. Only the Latest Differential
• D. The Last Full Backup and All Differential Backups Since Then

Answer: (A)

Differential backups capture every change since the last full backup. To reconstruct data, you need the base full backup plus the most recent differential that contains all changes up to that point. So restoring is done by applying the last full backup and then applying the latest differential. The latest differential already includes all changes since the full backup, making earlier differentials redundant. You wouldn’t just use only the latest differential, because you still need the base full backup, and you wouldn’t use all differential backups since the latest one already covers all changes since the full. Incremental backups are a different scheme and would require the full backup plus all incremental backups, not all differentials.

Differential backups capture every change since the last full backup. To reconstruct data, you need the base full backup plus the most recent differential that contains all changes up to that point. So restoring is done by applying the last full backup and then applying the latest differential. The latest differential already includes all changes since the full backup, making earlier differentials redundant. You wouldn’t just use only the latest differential, because you still need the base full backup, and you wouldn’t use all differential backups since the latest one already covers all changes since the full. Incremental backups are a different scheme and would require the full backup plus all incremental backups, not all differentials.