Which type of backup allows recovery of specific data without having to restore all data at once?

Granular backup is designed to allow recovery of specific pieces of data without the necessity of restoring an entire dataset. This capability is particularly useful in scenarios where only a small amount of data has been lost or corrupted, enabling precise data recovery for items like individual files or specific application data. This approach saves time and resources, as users do not need to go through a lengthy restoration process of larger datasets when only a portion of the data is required.

In contrast, a full backup involves copying all selected data at one time, which does not facilitate selective recovery. Incremental backups store only the data that has changed since the last backup, but restoring requires the last full backup and all incremental backups prior to the point of recovery. Similarly, differential backups copy data that has changed since the last full backup, yet they still require the last full backup for restoration, making them less efficient for specific data recovery compared to granular backups.