Hello,
What is the version of your database?
1. Description of the recovery types is already available at MAXDB library, please review the document:
http://maxdb.sap.com/doc/7_7/d4/fba2eae7ba441c88771db88768d99e/content.htm
2. Please read about recovery with initialization at
http://maxdb.sap.com/training/administration_7.6/MaxDB-Admin-All.pdf
< page 103>
3. You´ve searched about this difference between them but you don´t have the clear concepts.
Please let me know what documents did you read?
Did you read:
http://maxdb.sap.com/training/internals_7.7/05_logging_EN_77.pdf
and
http://maxdb.sap.com/training/expert_sessions/SAP_MaxDB_BackupAndRecovery.pdf
?
4. If you are SAP customer =>
please review the SAP notes:
1377148 FAQ: SAP MaxDB backup/recovery
1014782 FAQ: MaxDB system copy
869267 FAQ: SAP MaxDB log area
5. Think first about your backup/recovery project and disaster scenario.
For example, your project is a SCM system copy from PROD to QA.
You're following the steps of 886103 SAP note. One of the steps is Homogeneous liveCache copy using backup/restore, SAP note 457425. You created the comlete databackup of the production
liveCache which you planning to restore to the QA system liveCache.
If the QA liveCache was restartable on line, the logging entries were written.
So if you will bring the liveCache to admin and restored the liveCache backup of the production liveCache, the QA liveCache will be failed to restart online, the data and log volumes are not compatible.
You should use Recovery with initialization, so redo log entries still present in the log area will be cleared by liveCache kernel before the recovery will be started.
Regards, Natalia Khlopina