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&gt;&gt;You verify your backups *immediately* after you've taken the backup, of course, don't you? <br />
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That will verify that backup is good at that point in time. &nbsp;Not a good guage of it's usability over time.<br />
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I disk-to-disk-to-tape backups. &nbsp;I can easily verify my backups on disk but that really doesn't help much a month from now.
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How often do you test that you can restore the backup of a business critical database?<br />
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And if say the restore test from 3 months ago worked and restored fine, why do you need to keep checking it restores say once every 3 months. I.e. if it worked then, why wouldnt it now. Can you elaborate in management laymans terms to a non DBA? <br />
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Whats the risk if you only test a restore once say a year.
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How often do you test that you can restore the backup of a business critical database?

And if say the restore test from 3 months ago worked and restored fine, why do you need to keep checking it restores say once every 3 months. I.e. if it worked then, why wouldnt it now. Can you elaborate in management laymans terms to a non DBA? 

Whats the risk if you only test a restore once say a year.

&gt;&gt;You verify your backups *immediately* after you&#39;ve taken the backup, of course, don&#39;t you? 

That will verify that backup is good at that point in time.  Not a good guage of it&#39;s usability over time.

I disk-to-disk-to-tape backups.  I can easily verify my backups on disk but that really doesn&#39;t help much a month from now.

testing restores of busienss critical databases

Oracle is an object-relational database management system. It supports a large number of languages and application development frameworks. Its primary languages are SQL, PL/SQL and Java, but it also includes support for C and C++. Oracle also has its own enterprise modules and application server software.

Oracle Database

Databases are organized collections of data, most commonly accessed through management systems including schemas, tables, queries and processes that allow users to enter and manipulate the information or utilize it in other fashions, such as with web applications or for reporting purposes.

Databases

The term "Backup" means the methods and processes involved to copy computer data (system data as well as application data) to media other than the ones where the data originally live (disk, tape, optical, cloud). "Restore" in turn means the methods and processes involved in data recovery, i. e., bringing back copied computer data to their original location. Backup/Restore primarily serves as a means of protection against data loss, be it due to disaster, corruption or sabotage. It can also be used for recovering data from an earlier point in time and even for cloning machines or applications. There is a wide variety of backup/restore software available, from expensive commercial products to free or open source tools.