Can I create a Test Company with only the set-ups and tables copied, but not the data?

We are trying to encourage users to leverage the power of the software whilst mitigating the risk.  So to encourage their probing, I would like to create a Test Company (i.e., Directory) with only the tables copied, but none of the data from my very large database?

  1. My initial thought was to make a basic company, then copy over the settings and table files.  Given the files I see available through my experience with back-ups and OC inquiries, that doesn't look promising.
  2. The other way I could see to do this would be to copy over the entire DB and then pare down the data through archiving and the movement of records to history.  I envision that will take weeks and maybe months of time.
  3. And if I simply copying the current DB over to a new Test Company and leave things as is, it will add hours on to our IT team for the software change-over process every year when they have to update all the DB's as part of that process.  They already are required to be here around the clock for al least one day; on occasion it has sometimes become a two day affair when things do not go right.  I just don't want to add to their grief.

Any additional thoughts on how this could be accomplished?  I basically want to end up with a scaled down DB that reflects our current design, but not all the clutter of our data?

  • Tom -

    I don't know what your data structure looks like, but I would suggest option #2.  However, I don't get that it would take weeks/months to archive the data.  If you want no data at all in it, then you'd have to do a AP check run and pay everything on the Open Payables, which should take about 10 minutes.  Post out your open billing and send it to AR, then receive a check from each of your customers and clear out all the Open AR, which I don't know how many you are talking about, but couldn't be more than an hour or two.Move current to history and then delete all the history files.  If you use contracts or SM, and those would be required to have zero open data in them, that would be some additional time.  But I don't see weeks or months as your time commitment.

    But, even if you leave some items open on your AR, AP, etc.  just the process of moving current to history and deleting history should make your database considerably smaller and the commitment of IT to process the year end update shouldn't be that long.  Longer than if it was empty, but depending on hardware its installed on, I would think it would be manageable.

    Cheers,

    John McLagan
    Johnny on the Spot
    Independent Consultant

  • We have used a Test Company in the past but never bother upgrading or backing up the Test Company.  Whenever you want, you can delete  the Test Company and make a new Test Company from your live data easily.  I assume this might work well for you, too. 

  • in reply to John McLagan

    Thank you John.  You may be right; I am considering your thoughts.  My predecessors made a gazillion separate DB's, which creates a nightmare for IT during upgrade season.

    Our main company is sizeable with well over a thousand open projects and millions of transactions.  My goal is to create a DB the size suitable for a "test playground."  My experience of moving transactions to history or simply deleting them (and all related transactions) appears to me as a slow process, that needs to get added on to the day-to-day functions.

    All the same, I hear you.

  • in reply to Rhonda V

    Thank you Rhonda.  I think that is in line with what John is advising above.  I was (and still am) just hoping for something easier than an arduous copy and delete process.

  • in reply to Tom Miele

    I think John recommended #2.  I am suggesting #3.  Don't upgrade the Test Company.  Just delete the Test Company (KB 39663)  before the upgrade will be performed.  Then copy the live, upgraded data file back to the Test Company (KB 93896) after the upgrade.  If you do spend the time creating a clean company as suggested in #2, I suggest you make sure that copy is saved separately and upgraded, and with no data.  I think a clean setup could be quite useful down the road for things such as this. 

    P.S.  I have done it but it took time.  I created a new company and then setup all the tables manually.