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Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

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    Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

    It's my belief that backups should be run when everyone is out of the Alpha application. This is to avoid data corruption especially to memo fields.

    I'm looking to know what others are doing, both successes and failures.

    Is anyone using Microsoft's Azure?

    Thanks
    Alpha 5 Version 11
    AA Build 2999, Build 4269, Current Build
    DBF's and MySql
    Desktop, Web on the Desktop and WEB

    Ron Anusiewicz

    #2
    Re: Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

    For what it is worth?
    I use a usb 2T external for back up and set the alpha backup for when I know it will not be in use. I urge my clients to do the same and set backup for 3 am normally. data files only.
    Dave Mason
    [email protected]
    Skype is dave.mason46

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

      ditto for Dave's reply
      I backup dbf, fpt, cdx
      Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
      972 524 8714
      [email protected]

      ____________________
      "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

        Dave,
        I hope your 2TB drive is SSD.
        I would believe data that needs to be backed up surrounding an application is more than just the data in Alpha. Our back up need consists of the data in our Alpha app (we named URSA) and many PDF files constituting quotes,vendor orders, invoices from vendors, invoices to customers, contracts, product MSDS and info, spreadsheet files, and lots more, all representing data that needs to be backed up. The entire thing is currently at 26 GB. The entire Alpha component is 202 MB. I have tried to write scripts to back up all the data, but they fail because I cannot get the the code to prepare the folders and subfolders beyond 6 subfolders. We have need for 8 levels of subfolders. So it is a physical copy the URSA folder in Windows File Explorer dragged to a 2TB SSD USB drive. It takes about an hour. Finian posted this script recently. I haven't tried it but will tonight.

        Code:
        fmt1 = FILE_FIND_NORMAL
        strt = "d:\aaaa\bbbbbb\ccccccc" +chr(92)
        gfiles = "*.*"
        fmt2 = "PN"
        fname = "D:\temp\flist.txt"
        lst = filefind.get_recurse(strt,gfiles,fmt1,fmt2)
        save_to_file(lst,fname)
        zipfile = "D:\temp\test.zip"
        opts = "D,"
        if file.exists(zipfile) then
        	file.remove(zipfile)
        end if
        res = file.zip(zipfile,lst,Opts,strt)
        if res then
        	msg_txt = "The zip file was created!"
        	else
        		msg_txt = "The zip file not was created!"
        end if
        msgbox("",msg_txt)
        Mike W
        __________________________
        "I rebel in at least small things to express to the world that I have not completely surrendered"

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

          Mike: I don't think that script will work for you. It may create the files list, but I believe that the file.zip() function will fail when the number of files is large. I tried it on a file list with 76,000 files and it failed consistently.

          As for backup in general, I have now used Acronis for more than a year and find it to be the most reliable, intuitive and easy to set up for local and cloud backup solution I have ever used. Come to think of it, I don't know why I'm still paying Carbonite when I have the Acronis cloud backup running once weekly without any issues. I rotate among 3 X 2T external USB drives and try to keep only one connected each day.
          Finian

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

            Hi Finian,
            Thank you so much for that. I do not have 76,000 files, maybe 2000 files. My problem has been that I can create a text file that has the tree structure into a simple text file like:
            URSA>DC>doc_repository>Production>Stores>Audit_install_reports>PRJ.00646_GiantEagle_FuelPerks4th>Complete Installations>Store 1605>_1605_IR2.jpg
            The problem is I cannot reconstitute the file structure back into Windows using recurse functions that produces for that many subfolders.
            Mike W
            __________________________
            "I rebel in at least small things to express to the world that I have not completely surrendered"

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Tools and best practices to backup Alpha dbf and memo fields to avoid corruption

              This was lost, so
              I have ssd on the backup drives and they cost less than 100 each. USB3.0 plug in and a very little setup.
              I back up the whole folder(s). That means, data, support files, pdf, txt and other that may be in folders.

              I actually thank a client for introducing these to me.
              Dave Mason
              [email protected]
              Skype is dave.mason46

              Comment

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