A solid backup system is good insurance against data loss from software, hardware or network problems or from operator error.
your GainSeeker database
The name of the GainSeeker database being backed up will depend on choices you made during database setup.
For SQL Server, Oracle, or MySQL, you must use backup software that correctly integrates with your database to back up tables that are currently in use. It is not adequate to simply make copies of the files that comprise your databases. For example, the failure to properly back up the GainSeeker database on SQL Server has been known to generate errors such as "Error 9002: 37000: [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server] The log file for database '<name> ' is full. Back up the transaction log for the database to free up some log space."
For Pervasive.SQL or Btrieve databases, you must use BUTIL commands or a program such as the Pervasive Backup Agent to put the GainSeeker tables into "continuous operations mode" before backing up these tables. You should back up all of the GainSeeker tables in the Shared Data Folder you selected during installation (and its sub-folders).
your GainSeeker data files
These supporting files are typically found in the Shared Data Folder you selected during installation (and its sub-folders).
Your GainSeeker data should be backed up daily, if possible. If your network already includes a daily backup system, you should make sure that the backups will include your GainSeeker data.
Your backup system should include a series of removable media, such as backup tapes, so that one day’s backup does not overwrite the backup from the previous day. This helps to prevent you from overwriting a backup of a good system with a backup of a corrupted system.
In addition to daily backups, monthly or quarterly backups of the full system are also a good precaution against catastrophe on the network. These periodic full system backups should be stored off-site in a secure location.
If production and inspection are performed during the night, some of your GainSeeker database tables and/or files may be in use around the clock.
Some backup systems do not properly back up database tables and/or files that are in use. To make sure that all of your GainSeeker data is backed up, test your backups periodically—before a problem occurs that requires you to restore from backup—to make sure that you can restore the data. You can avoid disrupting your working system during this test by restoring the data to a different server or folder.