title: What's the danger of backing up a database while being used?
body: <p>I need to backup my phpBB forum's mySQL database. Should the forum first be disabled so that no new entries are made in the database? Or can I leave the forum live? And in that case, is the worst that can happen that the database would miss some of the newer entries (no big deal)? Or could I end up with a corrupt database backup file (big deal)? </p>