A simple guide to MySQL backup history

The main tables for accessing mysql backup history is : mysql.backup_progress    & mysql.backup_history   , when the mysqlbackup command is used 

Use the backup_progress table to review messages & changes related to a  mysql backup running job. 

Executing describe mysql.backup_progress   returns:

+---------------+---------------+------+-----+-------------------+-----------------------------+
| Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
+---------------+---------------+------+-----+-------------------+-----------------------------+
| backup_id | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| tool_name | varchar(4096) | NO | | NULL | |
| error_code | int(11) | NO | | NULL | |
| error_message | varchar(4096) | NO | | NULL | |
| current_time | timestamp | NO | | CURRENT_TIMESTAMP | on update CURRENT_TIMESTAMP |
| current_state | varchar(200) | NO | | NULL | |
+---------------+---------------+------+-----+-------------------+-----------------------------+
6 rows in set (0.00 sec)

Use the backup_history  table - to view details of backups   generated by the mysqlbackup

Executing describe mysql.backup_history   returns:

+---------------------------+---------------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+
| Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
+---------------------------+---------------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+
| backup_id | bigint(20) | NO | PRI | NULL | |
| tool_name | varchar(4096) | NO | | NULL | |
| start_time | timestamp | NO | | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | |
| end_time | timestamp | NO | | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | |
| binlog_pos | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| binlog_file | varchar(255) | NO | | NULL | |
| compression_level | int(11) | NO | | NULL | |
| engines | varchar(100) | NO | | NULL | |
| innodb_data_file_path | varchar(2048) | NO | | NULL | |
| innodb_file_format | varchar(100) | NO | | NULL | |
| start_lsn | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| end_lsn | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| incremental_base_lsn | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| backup_type | varchar(50) | NO | | NULL | |
| backup_format | varchar(50) | NO | | NULL | |
| mysql_data_dir | varchar(2048) | NO | | NULL | |
| innodb_data_home_dir | varchar(2048) | NO | | NULL | |
| innodb_log_group_home_dir | varchar(2048) | NO | | NULL | |
| innodb_log_files_in_group | varchar(100) | NO | | NULL | |
| innodb_log_file_size | varchar(100) | NO | | NULL | |
| backup_destination | varchar(4096) | NO | | NULL | |
| lock_time | double(7,3) | NO | | NULL | |
| exit_state | varchar(10) | NO | | NULL | |
| last_error | varchar(4096) | NO | | NULL | |
| last_error_code | int(11) | NO | | NULL | |
| start_time_utc | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| end_time_utc | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| consistency_time_utc | bigint(20) | NO | | NULL | |
| meb_version | varchar(20) | NO | | 0.0.0 | |
| server_uuid | varchar(36) | NO | | NULL | |
+---------------------------+---------------+------+-----+---------------------+-------+
30 rows in set (0.00 sec)

To view the backup history ordered by the latest end_time use:

select * from mysql.backup_history order by start_time desc;

Columns notes:

tool_name  If you want to view the command used for the backup , check the tool_name column

backup_type & backup_format   Along with reviewing the backup_type options (FULL, PARTIAL,INCREMENTAL,TTS) check the backup_format options (IMAGE or DIRECTORY).   If it's a DIRECTORY use these instructions - How to MySQL restore files from a directory backup to their original location