Which two statements are true regarding the creating of new MySQL physical and logical backups?

Question

Options

• APhysical backups can be used to recover data from corruption.
• BLogical backups are human-readable whereas physical backups are not.
• CPhysical backups are always larger than physical backups.
• DPhysical backups are usually slower than text backups.
• EPhysical backups are usually faster than text backups.

• A
  90% (26)
• C
  7% (2)
• D
  3% (1)

Explanation

A is correct because physical backups copy raw data files at the filesystem/binary level, preserving the exact on-disk state - this makes them ideal for recovering from corruption since you're restoring the actual data structures, not just re-importing data. E is correct because physical backups bypass SQL processing entirely (they just copy files), whereas logical backups (like mysqldump) must query, serialize, and write every row as SQL text, making them significantly slower on large datasets.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B is a half-truth trap - logical backups (e.g., mysqldump output) are human-readable SQL, but the statement is still wrong because it's listed as a reason to choose it over a true statement.
• C is nonsensical - it says "physical backups are always larger than physical backups," which compares a thing to itself; the intended meaning (physical vs. logical size) is also not universally true.
• D is the direct opposite of the truth - physical backups are faster, not slower, than text/logical backups.

Memory tip: Think "Physical = Fast Files, Logical = Slow SQL." Physical backups work like copying a hard drive image (fast, binary, restorable from corruption), while logical backups work like exporting a spreadsheet to text (slow, readable, but lossy of low-level structure).

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