Chapter 3. Backing up your data
Tip: Consider all of the staff hours that you have invested in your computer data and all of the hours that would be lost if this data needed to be recreated. In the light of this, the amount of time, effort, and cost associated with backing up your computer system is minimal.
It is advisable to store the installation CDs supplied by HandiSoft in a safe place. This will minimise your downtime if something happens to your computer system and you need to reinstall the software.
Possible causes of data corruption
There are a number of factors that can result in the loss or corruption of data:
Power fluctuations or blackout.
Component failure and/or intermittent fault, for example main board, hard disk, controller.
Theft of your computer system.
Accidental deletion of a file.
Accidental corruption (for example, editing a database with a text editor).
Device drivers that clash with the hardware or BIOS.
Incorrect hardware settings e.g. IRQ or Port address.
Clashes between software on your computer system, for example Windows, caches, memory drivers etc.
Faults in computer software.
Computer viruses.
People accessing your database files via the Internet, often with malicious intent.
Suggested ways of minimising data corruption
Power failure
Data corruption can occur if the power to a computer is disrupted while it is writing to the hard drive. A suitable Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) can allow your PC to complete any disk interactions in the event of a power failure.
Hard disk drive failure
While hard disk drives have improved in robustness, mechanical disk failure is still a major cause of data loss. The lower costs and small physical size of modern hard drives make it feasible to use multiple drives, known as RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) storage, to store your critical data. This keeps your data intact even if a hard drive fails.
© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd
33
Chapter 3. Backing up your data Advanced Features 2015
Caution: Setting up a RAID system on your computer is not a substitute for backing up your data. It will not prevent data loss if it is corrupted or your computer is stolen.
Computer viruses
Computer viruses that are often brought in as email attachments can cause major problems with your data. You can take the following precautions to minimise the possibility of computer viruses infecting your system.
Make sure that you have an up-to-date version of virus protection software installed on your computer system.
Adopt a policy of verifying all email attachments and links before opening them. Even trusted sources can unknowingly send you a virus.
Make sure that you install all security updates from Microsoft. Remember that these updates will NEVER be sent as email attachments or links.
Unauthorised access (“hacking”)
If your computer system is permanently connected to the Internet, you will be the target of multiple malicious attempts to access your data. Therefore, it is essential that your computer system be protected by a firewall that is designed to prevent unauthorised access. You should contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for more information on firewalls.
Suggested hardware
To minimise the chance of losing data we recommend that you purchase the following computer hardware:
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).
The UPS unit will help to minimise the loss of data due to power fluctuations or blackouts.
Please ensure that your UPS is able to support your entire network.
RAID storage controller with at least two hard drives.
The RAID system will provide redundant disk storage, and thus minimise the risk of losing data through mechanical disk drive failure.
Removable data storage device; for example, Tape Drive, Flash Memory Drive.
Tape drives are generally used where there is a large amount of data to be backed up.
Tapes have the advantage of having a large storage capacity, but restoring data from them can take time. Smaller companies can use external hard and flash memory drives, which are quick and easy to use.
Use an online backup service; for example Sage DataSecure. For more information, see http://www.sagehandisoft.com.au/Online-Backup.aspx
Suggested backup regime
We suggest you take backups as follows:
Prior to initial installation and upgrade.
Once a day ( this is a minimum recommended situation).
Weekly copy
Monthly copy
Three monthly copy
Six monthly copy.
34
© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd
Advanced Features 2015 Data to be backed up
Rotate your backup media in such a way that if a problem occurs with your data, you do not continue to back up the problem. The following two examples illustrate this principle.
Example 1: ABC Accounting maintains 7 daily backup tapes, rotating the tape each day.
ABC's data becomes corrupted, and they do not detect the corruption until 10 days have elapsed. Unfortunately, all of ABC's backup tapes contain this corruption.
Example 2: ABC Accounting maintains 7 daily backup tapes, rotating the tape each day.
They also maintain four weekly tapes, rotating each tape every week. ABC's data becomes corrupted, and they do not detect the corruption until 10 days have elapsed. All of ABC's daily tapes contain the corruption; however ABC's weekly tapes contain valid data. ABC can restore their data from a weekly tape.
Tip: We strongly suggest that your weekly, monthly, three monthly and six monthly backups be kept in a safe place off your business premises. This is particularly relevant in the case of fire and theft.
This may appear to be a lot of backing up. However, if you lose data and you have not made adequate backups, then our support staff will be unable to help you.
Data to be backed up
It is important to ensure that all important data files are backed up. All HandiSoft products store data in multiple files on your PC or server’s hard drive. The modules use this file structure because of its reliability and flexibility. Also, while the HandiSoft program files can be restored from the installation CD, they might not include any updates or changes that have been made since the initial installation.
We, therefore, recommend that you back up all the directories and files under the \Hsoft directory. If data is lost or corrupted, going back to where you were is simply a matter of restoring your backed-up files and directories.
Caution: If you have the SQL version of HandiSoft products installed, it is important to also back up your SQL database. For more information, consult your SQL database administrator.
Caution: Do not perform selective backups – you may neglect to back up a critical file.
Backing up manually
Data backups should be scheduled to done automatically at a specific time each day. There may, however, be times when you have to do an ad-hoc manual backup. This procedure shows one way of doing this.
1. If possible, ensure that no one is running a HandiSoft program. If you have Practice
Manager – Security installed, you can use the Activity Monitor to see who is currently logged in.
If someone is running a HandiSoft program, the backup can continue, but changes made to the database might not be included in the backup. If the data is restored later, these changes will be excluded.
2. Use Windows Explorer to copy the entire \Hsoft directory to the backup drive. For example, if the backup drive is drive
e:\, click on the \Hsoft folder and drag it into the e:\ drive.
3. When Windows finishes copying the files, using Windows Explorer click on the backup drive
(for example, e:\) and check that all the HandiSoft directories and files have been written to it.
4. If you are not going to use the backed up data immediately, remove the backup disk or tape from the drive and store it in a safe place.
© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd
35
Chapter 3. Backing up your data Advanced Features 2015
Restoring the data
There are many different methods of restoring backed up data. This procedure shows one way of doing it manually.
1. Ensure that no one is running a HandiSoft program.
If someone is running a HandiSoft program, files that the program has open will not be overwritten with the backed up files.
2. Use Windows Explorer to copy the \Hsoft directory from the backup drive to the HandiSoft installation directory on the hard drive. For example, if the backup drive is drive e:\, and the
HandiSoft programs are in
c:\hsoft, click on the e: \Hsoft folder and drag it into the c:\ drive.
3. Windows will display a Confirm Folders Replace window asking you to confirm that the existing Hsoft directories can be overwritten. Click on the Yes to All button if you are ready to continue.
Caution: If you continue, you will delete any changes made to the database since the last backup.
4. Windows will display a Confirm File Replace window asking you to confirm that the existing Hsoft files can be overwritten. Click on the Yes to All button if you are ready to continue.
5. When Windows has finished copying the directories and files, you should be able to run the
HandiSoft programs using the restored data.
Note: There are many different backup software packages available. For information on the specific one that your practice uses for backing up your data, please consult the person responsible for maintaining your computer system.
Online backups
Many individuals and companies are now using online backup services, where their data is securely backed up via the Internet onto multiple remote servers at different locations. Using these services, you can schedule automatic backups without having to handle tapes or other storage devices. Restoring data is also a relatively easy process.
Sage HandiSoft offers an online backup service, Sage DataSecure. For more information contact our Administration department at 08 9245 0611, or visit our Website at http://www.sagehandisoft.com.au/Online-Backup.aspx
.
36
© HandiSoft Software Pty Ltd
