Scheduling regular backups is one of the most important things you can do for your databases. If there is a system failure or trouble restoring an object, you can rely on the backup copy of your database. Some people don’t want to keep an extra copy of their database because it takes up room, but consider that this is an investment in your current database. If you have multiple users using your database, a backup is even more crucial.
Let’s talk about the importance of planning regular backups and how to perform the action.
Planning Regular Backups
We’ve all been there. You sign into your database, only to discover that some of the data has been corrupted and you have nothing to fall back on. Rather than waiting until this happens, think ahead by planning regular backups. If you have multiple users working in the database, everyone will need to exit the database before the backup can be completed. Otherwise, not everything will be saved appropriately.
When to backup your database depends on a couple of factors.
- If your database is archived, you only need to run a backup if you change the data or design.
- If your database is actively used, it’s best to create a regular schedule for backing up the data. This could be every week or every other week.
- If your database has multiple users, backup your database with every design change.
How to Backup Your Database
Open the database that you want to create a backup for. Here are the steps to follow:
- Click File, then Save As
- Under File Types, click Save Database As
- Under Advanced, click Back Up Database, then click Save As
- In the Save As box, in the File Name box, create a name for your database
- Select the file type and click Save
Your backup should always be a good copy of your database. You don’t necessarily need to use the Back Up Database command – you can retrieve any good copy that has been saved to a USB or external hard drive. The purpose of having a backup is to replace whatever was corrupted in your database with good data.
If you do choose to use the Back Up Database in Microsoft Access, open file Explorer and choose the backup copy of the database. Copy this to the location of the damaged database. In a few simple clicks, you have your original data to work with. Crisis averted!
If you have any other questions about working with a corrupted or damaged database, call Arkware. We can help you recover a corrupted database and protect your data in the future.