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Everyone on DataTeam Support can tell
you heart-wrenching stories about clients who have had to
recreate weeks or even months worth of work lost to hard drive
crashes, lightning strikes, and backup failure.
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of making the backup
process part of your regular routine.
How Often?
It is important that you backup at the
end of any day that you use your DataTeam software and any
time that your software prompts you to back up. While this
may seem excessive or inconvenient, it is insurance that limits
the amount of work you will ever have to redo.
What to Backup
| Windows |
| • |
Open your DataTeam software to the main
menu and click on "Help" on your Menu Bar. |
| • |
Select "About DataTeam."
A new window will open. Look at the last line of information
labeled "Data Location:" (Note, in the latest
versions of FA2, you will need to click on
the "Database Info" tab within the About Box
to find the location of your data. Then look at the line
of information titled location.) |
| • |
Copy down this information
(i.e., C:\DataTeam\Data\FA2). |
| Macintosh:
|
| • |
Open your DataTeam software to the main
menu and click on the Apple in the far upper left-hand
corner of the Menu Bar and select "About DataTeam." |
| • |
A new window will open. Look at the last
line of information labeled "Data Location:" |
| • |
Copy down this information (i.e., Macintosh
HD:\DataTeam\Data\FA2). |
Backup Media
We recommend that you backup to zip disks
or CDs because they are inexpensive, easy to use, and portable.
They also allow you, the software user, to make backups quickly
at critical times in your work process such as just before
ending a pay cycle or before posting a bank reconciliation.
Rotating Backups
It's best to have at least five backup
media. If you are using a zip drive, for example, you would
need at least five zip disks-- one of each workday of the
week. This way, you have a disk that is used to backup for
Monday, one for Tuesday, etc. Then you can reuse them each
week. By using a new backup disk each day of the week, you
will not overwrite the previous day's backup. This will ensure
that if one of your backups fails you will have another to
use. This is true with any backup media you opt to use whether
it be zip disks, CDs, or tapes.
Remember that zip disks, like floppy disks
or ink pens do not last forever. In fact, most manufacturers
agree to the following guidelines:
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Lifespan of Backup Media
|
| Backup Media Type |
Lifespan |
| Tape |
two years* |
| Magnetic disk (such as
floppies, zip disks, or jaz disks) |
five years* |
| CDs |
10 years* |
|
* This is number is based on the recommendation
of most manufacturers. For more accurate lifespan information
about your particular backup media, consult the manufacturer.
You should know the more you use a backup
media disk, the shorter its lifespan will be. Replace media
often to ensure quality of backup.
On the Server
If you store your data on the server and
rely solely on your server's nightly backups, please
check with your technology specialist to ensure that each
night's backup does not replace
the previous backup.
For more information on rotating the backups
of your DataTeam software, please refer to
your software manuals.
I spent hours
and days and weeks
Entering and printing and balancing sheets.
I put in my budgets and checked out my cash
I tidied my desk and emptied my trash.
I readied the
mail and answered the phone
I ate at my desk...so much work to be done!
I paid all the bills and I paid all the people
I worked so hard I was feeling so feeble.
I had records
that were right and balances true
There was only one thing that I didn't do.
I couldn't find a few minutes each day
To do the backups along the way.
And then a crisis
came from on high
When lightening struck a place nearby.
The power jumped and danced around
Shutting my equipment completely down.
My data was gone,
records were too
I dropped to my knees, "What am I going to do?"
I hurried to the phone to call DataTeam
I was so frantic I wanted to scream!
The Support Staff
at DataTeam were always so nice
They knew what to do, I didn't think twice.
The first thing they said hurt me ever more
"Get out your backup. You'll have to restore."
I had to admit
my last backup was old
The sweat on my brow turned clammy and cold
The work had been done, the entries repeated
But now I was sorry that I had ever cheated.
To skip a backup
leads to loss not gain.
Take it from me, it's not worth the pain.
I made a new rule after losing so much time
Backups are now a priority of mine.
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