Hi there,
After losing first date base with DT Pro (due to mostly me trying to sync data base using DropBox) I am on my next try. Everything looks good so far but I became hooked on backup as possible lifeline. Last data base became corrupted and I was able to open it and watch that it shuts down in 4-5 seconds.
Anyway, now I am backing up using Time Machine and Backup (Mac) software.
Here is a question. On this forum I learned that whole data base is one single file and that has to be backed up. Do I need to close DT Pro in order to do backup or successful backup can be done while DT Pro is still open?
I definitely want to avoid corrupted files and announcements like " This DB is already open, proceed??" and similar. I saw plenty of that.
DTP’s own backup functions will work when the database is open. (Obviously.) Third party backup solutions may or may not handle the database package correctly. Caveat user.
(It’s not a single file. It’s actually a folder that looks like a file to the operating system. But you can dig into it and see its contents if needed. Some backup software is package-aware, some is not.)
The fundamental issue with backing up a database while it’s open is that the content of the database might change while the backup is taking place. In particular, DTP’s autosave features might write new changes to disk without you even being aware that it’s doing so. The longer the backup takes, the bigger the risk – for this reason cloud backups are inherently less safe than local backups, and a larger database is riskier than a small one.
Katherine
OK, so sounds like DT should be closed for good backup.
Thank you for answer.
Does Apple Time Machine in OSX Snow Leopard do a good job of backing up my DTPO databases or should I use the built in backup feature?
Thanks.
Bud
I’ve had success restoring databases from Time Machine. But that’s because I was willing to lose some changes that Time Machine did not capture.
A few things to consider. Time Machine normally runs hourly (there are 3rd party apps that will change that.) Time Machine is continually pruning your backups - so that ultimately the farther back you go in time there may be only one (and eventually none) backups for a given month. If your databases are any more dynamic than once-monthly changes, this makes Time Machine somewhat of a lottery as far as restoring to an given desired state. Never restore from Time Machine on top of an existing database file. If it’s the wrong backup, you’ll be out of luck.
The best backups for anything are the ones you perform explicitly, that you manage, and that you test/validate. The DT backup tool fits that bill.