The user managed method of backup has been around for many years. In the user managed method the database administrator performs backups manually. The commands used are simple operating system copy commands that can be performed standalone or in the form of scripts. The COPY command may be used in Windows and the cp command in UNIX. The user-managed method allows the administrator to perform backups when the database is either offline or online.

A user-managed backup is made by performing a physical copy of data files using the OS commands. These copies are moved to a separate location using OS commands. The user maintains a record of the backups.