Automated Backup

We use the Sage 50 Canadian edition and I have set up the automated backup on our server, however the only time it runs is if someone uses Sage on the server. Is there a way to have the automated backup run automatically every night at a scheduled time?

  • 0
    There is no fully automated backup at the end of the day within the program itself, you would have to use the server backup software (or backup software installed on a workstation that can be left on and setup to backup at a specific time).

    The automatic backup feature in the program only kicks in the first time the file is closed in a particular day depending on settings. I believe if one person closes but others are in the file, then it might not backup even when the last person closes for the first time day. However, I have not fully gone through and tested it. I was working on two client files from my server yesterday and it kicked in on both when I closed them but I was in both in single-user mode.

    I only use that feature as a redundant backup, not a primary one because of the "when it is first closed for the day" condition. If you open the file, look around and close it, it does the backup. Then you open it after lunch and do 200 entries, the automated backup will not kick in again until tomorrow or whenever your settings indicate. Therefore if overnight, a hard drive failure happens, a fire starts, a flood, etc. you don't have a backup of the 200 entries. Of course, if you only backup to the server

    I would set the reminder to backup when the file is closed and then do the backup when asked. It's not fully automatic but it helps. I would also be surprised if your server is not already set up to backup the files. Make sure the files are included in that backup, but continue to do a redundant backup as well.
  • 0

    charlj3 said:
    however the only time it runs is if someone uses Sage on the server. Is there a way to have the automated backup run automatically every night at a scheduled time?

    Sage 50 uses a MySQL database for data storage that may keep files 'open' for days.  The 'archive bit' or date / timestamp that most applications that 'save' files use, can't be relied upon by the server backup software to know when the data has changed.  Automated backups are ideal, but a DBMS storage system like MySQL can't be reliably backed up unless the files are 'closed'.  

    That said, a backup of an open file from 1 AM with a minor problem is way, way, way better than nothing!  If you want help with the server backup software, please post the server OS version and what backup software you're using.

    To be sure you're getting a complete, usable backup, it's best to regularly use the utility that comes with Sage 50.  And test that you can restore it at least once a month.  I usually keep (and test) the backup that I make immediately after filing a remittance, so If someone later makes adjustments I have a record of what it was when it was filed.

    I don't know which backup software you're using, but it sounds like the default setting is an 'incremental' or 'differential' backup, which would do one full backup of all the data, then would backup the changed files each night, probably based on the 'archive bit' file flag.  This method is OK for 'file-based' data (documents, pictures, etc.)

    Restore from incremental backups take the files from the initial full backup, then add (or write over) files from each 'incremental' backup session.

    In the days of backups to tape it was considered better to have a full backup of a database each time, because a restore from the last day of the week would be 1 full and 6 incremental session restores.  Too many moving parts, too much to go wrong - The chance of failure is unacceptably magnified - 95% ^ 7 sessions is 70% reliability.  1 missed spreadsheet of 500 is unlikely to be a big deal, but 1 missed database schema file in 500 likely means the restored data will be completely unusable.

    'Differential' backups are a lot 'safer' while not needing as much storage as a 'full', since there is only 1 full and 1 'differential' session for any restore.

    Onsite Hard drive backups to 1 device don't have the 'seek time' and loading problem of tapes, but one failure can lose all the backups.  One large power surge can 'take out' everything.

    'Offsite' backups are ideal if you have the bandwidth, but it's risky to use continuous backup or 'sync' software to back up a Sage 50 (MySQL) database directly.

  • 0 in reply to Richard S. Ridings
    I am trying to figure out the best way to back up as well. I set it to Auto back up at the end of the day and like you said if it closed at noon and reopened, I lose the Data after noon. But also it doesn't always work, it's as if I have to be logged in as System admin and in single user mode before it will back up upon closing. I just want it to Automatically back up every night. I was hoping I could get it to go to my cloud storage too but it still says not available until 2017 when I click it. How can I make this work.
  • 0 in reply to Banksno925

    If you are talking about the option indicated next to the yellow highlight, then as you can see you are not setting the program to backup your file at the end of the day.  However I don't understand why you think you lose the data from the afternoon.  The data is still in the file, but not in the backup done earlier in the day when you first closed it.

    I personally have never tracked exactly how it works but I've used the backups a couple of times to recover data for some clients.  The idea of backups is to not lose more than a days work.  The only way to make the backup go to your cloud through the software is to wait three or four months.

    Otherwise, get some memory sticks and take the 5 minutes each day before you leave the office to do your backup.  Save your filing until you do the backup.

  • 0 in reply to Richard S. Ridings
    Yes I am talking about the option you indicated but it still doesn't always back up. At the end of the day I check and it doesn't back up until I sign in as system admin and check the setting and close sage.

    You are right I don't lose data it just doesn't back that data up until next back up.

    I have already manually been backing up to the cloud daily after logging in a system admin to get it to back up to external hard drive.

    Thanks Richard.
  • 0 in reply to Banksno925
    There is no need to log in a sysadmin to just start a backup manually. Switch to single-user mode from the File menu, then again File menu, Backup.
  • 0 in reply to Richard S. Ridings
    ok so the auto back up only works when its in single user mode. At the end of the day its not normally in single user. Which defeats the purpose because it takes just as long to switch to single user as it does to back it up. Anyway to have it back up when its running in multi user ?
  • 0 in reply to Banksno925
    Yes, you can set up backup software to grab a copy of the data and archive it nightly. Making a copy using Windows Explorer, or a batch file usually works, too, if no-one's using the data.

    But sometimes it won't - and you won't know until you try to restore it.