By default a backup file is created according to the specification in [the Backup timestamp](#backup-timestamp) section above. You can however override the `[TIMESTAMP]` part of the filename by setting the `BACKUP` environment variable. For example:
```sh
sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create BACKUP=dump
```
The resulting file will then be `dump_gitlab_backup.tar`. This is useful for systems that make use of rsync and incremental backups, and will result in considerably faster transfer speeds.
### Excluding specific directories from the backup
You can choose what should be exempt from the backup up by adding the environment variable `SKIP`.