Incremental/Differential MySQL Backup using mysqldump
Are there any techniques to use mysqldump (or similar command) to make incremental or differential backups for MySQL?
Solution 1:
You can simulate incremental backup by enabling and then backing up the binary logs. See http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/backup-methods.html under "Making Incremental Backups by Enabling the Binary Log."
Solution 2:
Checkout Xtrabackup (by Percona) if you are using InnoDB. It can do incrementals.
http://www.percona.com/docs/wiki/percona-xtrabackup:xtrabackup:incremental?rev=1289183209
Cheers