Data backup versus data archive
Key Takeaway
A backup is a copy of your current data that you restore after loss or corruption. An archive moves old, rarely used records out of production for long-term retention. Neither replaces the other, and most organizations need both.
Backup and archive both keep Salesforce data somewhere outside the active org, but they solve different problems. A backup copies your current data so you can load it back if records are lost or corrupted. An archive moves old, rarely used records out of production into low-cost storage. Archived records stay available for compliance or reference. Moving them out cuts storage costs and improves performance.
What a backup does
A backup copies the records currently in your org and saves the copy somewhere else. The backup doesn't change or remove the original records. The goal is an accessible copy that you can load back into the org if active data is damaged, deleted by accident, or corrupted.
A backup can be a complete copy of the entire org, including data, metadata, schema, and file attachments. For example, Salesforce Backup and Recover can create complete, secure copies of data and metadata on a schedule. Salesforce Backup and Recover can also restore selected records and files back into the org, so you can bring back only the records and files you need.
Because a backup keeps copies of records as they were when the backup ran, a backup is what you use when production data goes wrong. If field values are overwritten or corrupted, restore the affected records from the backup to get their earlier values back.
Marco's team activates a scheduled flow with a wrong condition. Overnight, the flow sets the Rating field on 1,500 accounts to "Cold". The accounts still exist, but their Rating values are now wrong. Marco uses Salesforce Backup and Recover to select the affected account records from the backup taken the evening before. He restores those records into the org, and the accounts get back the Rating values they had when that backup ran. An archive couldn't fix the problem, because archiving moves old records out of production instead of keeping copies of current ones.