I wrote a document which is available at www.hcresources.co.uk/misc.shtml which describes a valid test scenario John _____ From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Vanessa A. Simmons Sent: 13 October 2005 13:50 To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Methods for testing RMAN backups? I am getting ready to apply a patch to our databases and before doing so I need to test our RMAN backups to make sure I can get them all back in case there's a problem. Plus, it's just good practice to test the backups regularly anyway (BEFORE a disaster occurs). However, I haven't ever tested my backups before and want to see how others have done this. Thanks in advance, Vanessa