An easy way to backup an OM SQL database

[halstrom505]

Here is how I am doing the SQL backup, its incredibly easy and *free*!

I use a free program called SQLBackupandFTP, which you can find here:
http://sqlbackupandftp.com/

It is setup to backup the SQL database every night at 1 am. It backs up the SQL database to a zip file, that is stored on a hard drive on my network, So I have one copy there. At 2 AM, I use mozypro to then backup that zip file(and a few other things like the data folder) to Mozy.com online backup, which is HIPAA compliant and costs about 300 bucks a year(I have no financial interest).

This method requires no coding skills.

YMMV

[Shaune Wallace]

I'll give it a try. I like easy.

[Richard Jackson]

Here is how I am doing the SQL backup, its incredibly easy and *free*!

I use a free program called SQLBackupandFTP, which you can find here:
http://sqlbackupandftp.com/

It is setup to backup the SQL database every night at 1 am. It backs up the SQL database to a zip file, that is stored on a hard drive on my network, So I have one copy there. At 2 AM, I use mozypro to then backup that zip file(and a few other things like the data folder) to Mozy.com online backup, which is HIPAA compliant and costs about 300 bucks a year(I have no financial interest).

This method requires no coding skills.

YMMV

I use DrBackup ( I have no financial interest) and do 2 kinds of BU with them. I backup nightly over the internet and get an email notification and the same backup is mirrored to an external HD on the server at my office. If any of you have had to do a restore from the internet BU, it takes about 24-48 hours to complete. I see two possible scenarios that need attention in my office. If my server (Dell T300) with dual power supplies and mirrored drives failed then, I will need to restore the SQL database from that external HD backup to another CPU in the office and create a new "server". Then I would change the .ini files to point to it. This takes an hour to complete. This sounds easy and this is in fact what I did once with the Access database. This will not work on the SQL database though. So that new "server" must have Windows SQL server installed on it and ready to receive the SQL database. I have set this up and am ready to go. If the server dies, I call DrBackup and they will assist in restoring that external HD BU to the new computer and all is well in an hour. The second possible problem that needs attention is a corrupt database. A colleague a few miles away is still using Officemate/EW with the Access database. When he went to start up Monday morning he got the message that his database was corrupt and the program would not open on any computer. We are in Ohio so OM was closed and he could not reach anyone. Long story short he lost 7 months of data, financial patient info and all! He made a couple of misjudgments, no online BU and local BU was not functioning as he had thought. DrBackup saves 5 consecutive days of BU so if Thursday’s BU is corrupt, then you can restore the one from Wed and lose only one day of info.

Richard Jackson, OD

[Adam Parker, OD]

scary stuff - I'm going to have to re-evaluate my methods and also do a test resurrection.