Data loss without file loss.
WHAT YOU SEE
Error establishing a database connection Missing content while files are intact Tables marked as crashed An empty site with the design intact
FIRST CHECKS
Is it corruption or is the database gone? phpMyAdmin shows whether tables exist and whether they contain data.
Was there a failed import, a plugin operation, or a migration around the time it happened?
REPAIRING
phpMyAdmin offers a repair function for crashed tables. Try this before restoring, since it sometimes resolves the problem without data loss.
RESTORING
Restore the database from your most recent backup. Files do not need restoring if they are intact.
Restore from a matching date if the files were also changed.
IF SOMEONE DROPPED TABLES DELIBERATELY
Treat it as a compromise. Change every credential and investigate access.
RECONCILING
Content between the backup and now is lost. For a shop, check the gateway for orders that exist there.
PREVENTING RECURRENCE
Daily database backups for anything with changing data A database user with privileges only on its own database Back up before any import or migration
