Using backup sets

Backup sets can ease the administration of HBase data backups and restores by reducing the amount of repetitive input of table names.

You can group tables into a named backup set with the hbase backup set add command. You can then use the -set option to invoke the name of a backup set in the hbase backup create or hbase backup restore rather than list individually every table in the group. You can have multiple backup sets.

	Note
	Note the differentiation between the hbase backup set add command and the `-set` option. The hbase backup set add command must be run before using the `-set` option in a different command because backup sets must be named and defined before using backup sets as shortcuts.

If you run the hbase backup set add command and specify a backup set name that does not yet exist on your system, a new set is created. If you run the command with the name of an existing backup set name, then the tables that you specify are added to the set.

In the command, the backup set name is case-sensitive.

	Note
	The metadata of backup sets are stored within HBase. If you do not have access to the original HBase cluster with the backup set metadata, then you must specify individual table names to restore the data.