Restoring catalog

should I restore the catalog structure first and then the catalog contents.

By @kcgnj7491

No, the normal full backup not only saves the catalog AND your media files, but it also saves the links in the catalog to the new or old location of the media files depending on your choice.

This is a bit misleading, but what Adobe calls saving the structure is just making a copy of the catalog folder without the thumbnail cache. That kind of copy which you have been able to do yourself in your Explorer or Findier is very fast, contrary to a full backup.

The dual purpose is to restore the catalog folder if it is missing or corrupted AND it's nearly automatic and fast depending on your settings.

However, ONLY the full backup really can restore the structure of your media trees if your restore on a different computer or drive. If you have a backup system caring for the backup of your files, restoring the catalog structure may work only if the media files restore is performed without changing the new location. Otherwile the catalog will show all your media as "missing" or "disconnected". In that case, good luck with reconnecting all your files!