I'm no expert, and for most of my backing up I use my cpanel option called 'backup', but when I'm in phpmyadmin and decide to use the export feature I click on "Save All", check the box for "save as file", then leave everything as-is. Seems to make a .sql file that looks a heck of a lot like what I get when I open the .gz file that "backup" makes me. The only reason I use the first is because that's what I can easily use with my host to restore. The only reason I use the second is because that's what I can open in a text editor to search for something particular.

I am no expert either, but to get a decent restore, I use CVS and change the "fields terminated by" from a ";" to a ",", and zip it. I have had to unzip, split the file in two to upload/restore when the file was too large.

I prefer to just make a second database in the control panel, and copy the data there for a backup, though I do do an occassional cvs backup for a second line of defense.

:)