Which statement about backups is true?

Which statement about backups is true?

• A. Backs up changes since the last backup.
• B. Incremental backups copy changes since the last backup.
• C. Backs up all data.
• D. Differential backups copy changes since the last full backup.

Answer: (B)

Understanding backups hinges on how much data they copy each time. Incremental backups focus on efficiency: they copy only what has changed since the last backup operation. That means after the initial full backup, each new backup stores only the new or modified files since the previous backup, whether that previous backup was full or incremental. This keeps backup windows smaller and saves storage space, which is why this approach is commonly used for ongoing daily backups. A full backup would copy everything, which is accurate for that type but not what this statement describes. A differential backup copies changes since the last full backup, which is a different method from incremental. The phrase about copying changes since the last backup is a defining feature of incremental backups, making it the true statement in this context. For restores, you’d use the full backup plus all incremental backups since then.

Understanding backups hinges on how much data they copy each time. Incremental backups focus on efficiency: they copy only what has changed since the last backup operation. That means after the initial full backup, each new backup stores only the new or modified files since the previous backup, whether that previous backup was full or incremental. This keeps backup windows smaller and saves storage space, which is why this approach is commonly used for ongoing daily backups.

A full backup would copy everything, which is accurate for that type but not what this statement describes. A differential backup copies changes since the last full backup, which is a different method from incremental. The phrase about copying changes since the last backup is a defining feature of incremental backups, making it the true statement in this context. For restores, you’d use the full backup plus all incremental backups since then.