1. A method for loading data from a backup image of a database, the method comprising: selecting a subset statement defining a subset of the data in the database; identifying tables of the database based on metadata of the database; writing a target database having a structure but not the data of the identified tables; constructing, by a computer processor, one or more table statements defining a subset of each identified table based on the subset statement, wherein the subset of each identified table includes particular rows of a corresponding table; determining an unload order to unload the table statements in the least time, wherein the unload order specifies unloading the identified tables having filter predicates specified in the subset statement before other tables and the unload order specifies that unloading the identified tables having the lowest expected number of rows are processed first; and unloading selected data from the backup image into the target database in the determined unload order using respective table statements as filters.