CONTINUOUS DATA PROTECTION USING RETROACTIVE BACKUP SNAPSHOTS

Embodiments of the present invention include generating, at a first time, a first copy of a database including multiple tables, the first copy including a set of first structured text files. During a time period subsequent to the first time, queries that request updates to the tables during the time period are periodically generated and conveyed to a system managing the database. Responsively to the periodic queries, any updates to the tables and their respective update times are received and stored to a journal including one or more second structured text files. At a subsequent time, a request to generate a second copy of the database is received, the second copy including a state of the database at a specified time during the time period. The first copy of the database is updated with the updates whose update times are prior to the specified time, thereby generating the second copy.