What is the process of creating and maintaining identical copies of a database to improve availability called?

The process of creating and maintaining identical copies of a database to improve availability is known as replication. This technique involves copying data from one database (the primary) to another database (the secondary), ensuring that both instances contain the same information at any given time.

Replication plays a critical role in enhancing database availability and reliability, especially in scenarios where the primary database may fail or experience downtime. By having one or more identical copies available, the system can redirect queries to a secondary database, thus minimizing service disruption.

The terms backup, synchronization, and mirroring refer to related but distinct processes. Backup involves creating a standalone snapshot of the database at a specific point in time, which may not be continuously updated like replication. Synchronization typically refers to ensuring that two systems or databases remain up-to-date with each other but does not necessarily imply creating multiple identical copies for redundancy. Mirroring, while similar, often involves a more specific approach to maintaining real-time copies of databases, but it may not encompass all the features and flexibility that replication offers.