KB0001

Sonoran Systems

Article KB0006 - Dated: 2-July-2004

Problem:

How to automatically backup the ArTrac SQL database.

Solution:

All of the data for ArTrac is stored into a single Microsoft SQL Server database. A utility is included within the SQL Server Enterprise Manager that allows you to easily backup any of the SQL databases to the loal drive, a mapped network drive or even a CD drive. The procedure is simple and is fully described below.

Procedure to backup the SQL databases

Locate the SQL Server Enterprise Manager by selecting the "Start" -> "Program Files" -> "Microsoft SQL Server" -> "Enterprise Manager".
Once the SQL Enterprise Manager is opened, press the "+" symbol to the left of "Console Root" -> "Microsoft SQL Servers" -> "SQL Server Group" -> "(local)(Windows NT)" -> "Databases". You should now see a list of all of the databases being managed by SQL Server, one of which is the ArTrac database.
Right click on the ArTrac database and select "All Tasks" -> "Backup Databases..". This will open the SQL Backup Wizard which will guide you through the process.

SQL Enterprise Manager Backup Wizard

This first screen of the wizard allows you to select the database that is to be backed up. Use the "Database" field to set the ArTrac name of the database to be backed up. You can also provide a descriptive "Name" for the backup job as well as entering a meaningful description. In this example, the name of the backup job is "ArTrac Backup". The description indicates that this job is a weekly backup for ArTrac.

This first wizard screen also shows the type of database backup to be performed as well as the destination of the backup. Here we are performing a complete backup and the backup will be stored on the CD drive in the D:\ArTrac\SQL_Bkup folder. This CD must be configured to act as a normal hard disk drive. The backup can also be done to another server computer that is on the network simply by mapping a drive to that server.

You also have the option to either append to the existing backup with any new changes or to perform a complete backup. Either method can be used. If you elect to append the "Append to the media" rather then "Overwrite existing media", the time to peform the backup will be shorter as it is only backing up that data that is new or the data that has been changed.

Do not forget that at the bottom of the screen, you have the option to schedule the backup. In this example, the backup will be once a week on Sunday. This can be modified by press the "..." button to the right of the schedule field. This will allow you to edit the "Edit Schedule" screen of the wizard as shown below.

The "Edit Schedule" screen allows for different time at which the backup should occure. For our purposes, it is best to set it to "Recurring". By default the backup will occure on Sunday at 12:00 AM. To set a differnt date and time, simply press the "Change" button to the right.

The "Edit Recurring Job Schedule" screen allows you to configure just about any type of schedule. This would include the ability to perform a backup only during certain times of day on a given day of the week, or to create a simple schedule where the backup will be performed only once a week at a given time. Edit this screen to best fit your needs. Once you have the schedule set, press the "OK" button to return to the previous wizard screen.

This last wizard screen below shows the "Options" tab of the main SQL Server Backup Wizard. We recommend that you perform a data verification on the backup to assure media integrity. This is done by placing a check mark in the "Verify backup upon completion". You can learn more about the remaining options by pressing the "Help" button in the lower right hand corner. Press the "OK" button to accept the change.

Once you are satisfied with your change, press the "OK" button to close the wizard.

If you need to edit the schedule in the furture, simply open up the "Backup Databases.." wizard.

Feel free to contact your product support representative for further assistance.