Restoring involves getting an already existing database into the server by uploading relevant data files. Recovering means getting back the deleted/lost data.

A recovery catalog is a set of tables and views that Recovery Manager (RMAN) uses to store metadata (information about a database structure, archived redo logs, backup sets, and data file copies) about a target database (database that RMAN backups or restores). RMAN uses this metadata to conduct its backup, recovery, and maintenance operations.

A recovery catalog is solely managed by RMAN. RMAN propagates information about the database structure, archived redo logs, backup sets, and data file copies into the recovery catalog from the target database’s control file.