It is important that regular backups are made of the following:
The MiDatabank database
The Directory for the File Attachments
There are different arrangments for backing-up the database, depending
on which version of MiDatabank you are using.
MiDatabank Multi-User
Backups are configured using the facilities available within
SQL Server, and as such it is usually the responsibility of the
database administrator in the IT department to schedule and perform
these
backup operations.
As a general guideline,
it is recommended that
The database is backed up every two hours
The directory is backed up every night
For small centres receiving a low volume of enquires,
it will be possible to reduce the frequency of back-ups. For example,
if the centre receives just one enquiry per week it may only be
necessary to backup the database on a weekly basis.
Special Note for IT Support:
When configuring backups, do not
rely on just simply taking a copy of the hard disk or folder
that contains the SQL database. Backups must be taken
using the facilities available within SQL Server, or by using
a professional third-party database backup software. For
example, using SQL Server Management Studio the database administrator
would typically configure a maintenance plan
that takes backups
on a regular basis. Each backup creates a file with the .bak
extension. It is important that bak files are created as part
of the backup
process. It is the bak files that should be regularly copied to another
location for safe storage, rather than the actual database files.
If you would to talk further regarding
MiDatabank backups, please call Keith Brown on 01225 385100
or email keith.brown@coacs.com
MiDatabank Desktop:
For MiDatabank Desktop users only, the software and database
are installed in a directory on the hard disk of your computer.
This is unlike the multi-user versions which have a database
centrally maintained and backed-up by your IT department.
The correct way to backup for MiDatabank Desktop is to:
1. Copy the MiDatabank Desktop directory to CD, DVD, or
other file store. The default location for MiDatabank Desktop is
C:\Program Files\CoAcS\MiDatabank Desktop 2\
2. Copy the directory used for storing attachments to
CD, DVD, or other file store. The location of this directory can be
found in the MiDatabank Admin application.
Please ensure that you take regular backups of both the
database and the file attachment directory. The responsibility
for taking backups resides with the MI Pharmacists unless your
local IT support has indicated that this is a task that will be done
centrally.
If you would
to talk further regarding MiDatabank Desktop backups, please
call Keith Brown on 01225 385100 or email keith.brown@coacs.com
