hello there. i am programmatically backing up a firebird database
before performing an application/metadata update.

what is the best way for me to test that the backup is OK and not
corrupted etc.? i assumed it was to do a test restore. however
somebody said this might not be necessary, and would take a long time
for large databases. however, it's important i know that i have got a
restorable backup before meddling with the metadata.

any advice much appreciated. thanks.