Backup optimization and transportable tablespaces

Current database and backup configuration:

• 19T database that we backup to tape--disk is not an option for me
• Level 0 backups roughly once a month, Level 1 weekly, archivelogs multiple times per day
• Backup optimization is OFF
• No READ ONLY tablespaces
• TTS process that runs 7 times a week to create new tablespaces, one per day, using transportable tablespaces between two databases. The target database is the 19T one.
• Once data has been loaded, it is rarely updated after 90 days
• Backups and the TTS process are not allowed to run at the same time. The people who wrote the very complex backup and TTS process scripts left the company over 2 years ago and they are not well documented.
• Level1 backups are now running long enough that the TTS process doesn't run at it's next scheduled time causing us to fall behind and customer frustration because the expected data is not in the database

I am looking at options to improve backup performance. From what I've read, I can set most of the tablespaces to READ ONLY and enable backup optimization so the tablespaces that don't change do not get backed up every week. Given the length of time for a Level 1 backup, schedule of Level 0 backups, and tape retention policy, I am currently at risk of not being able to restore this database if needed.

Questions:

1. What would be valid reasons for not letting the backups and TTS process run at the same time? The TTS process can take up to 4 hours for a single day.
2. If backups and creating/loading the new tablespaces should not be done at the same time, I'm thinking that modifying the schedule would be an option I should consider so the TTS process completes before the backup kicks off. Does this sound reasonable?
3. Is my thinking around optimizing my backups valid? Is there another/better way I should consider? We would need to script something to change the tablespaces to READ ONLY on a daily or weekly basis.
4. If a tablespace is READ ONLY and has not been backed up yet. will it get picked up in a Level 0 or 1 backup even with backup optimization on?

I am new to the transportable tablespace feature and haven't been able to figure out everything our TTS scripts are doing or why yet. I appreciate any suggestions and insight.

-- 
Sandy
GHX

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