A database restore might be necessary when the data area or the log area is damaged, to recover from a logical error, or to copy the database.
Perform a restore operation immediately after your first full backup to understand the process.
Restore Types
Oracle restores fall into the following main categories:
Database restore: This is a restore of all database files, the control file, and the server parameter file.
Database subset: This is a combination of a restore of any of the following files:
Only archive logs
Oracle control file
Individual data files and tablespaces
Database archived redo logs
Restore Destinations
You can restore to the following destinations:
In-place restore
When you restore a database in place, you restore it to the same database on the same client from which the database was backed up.
Out-of-place restore
When you restore a database out of place, you can restore it to any one of the following destinations:
A different client than the one from which the database was backed up
A different database on the same client from which the database was backed up
Recovery Options
After the restore, you can recover the database to a point other than the current time, if the current database is inconsistent.
When you choose the option to recover from the latest backup time or from the latest SCN with a secondary copy, the software only considers the time or SCN from the latest job available on the secondary copy, even when the primary copy or other copies have a more recent backup job.