Data Backup

A system administrator can backup all data from the database and, optionally, all attachments to a ZIP archive file. Furthermore, it is possible to create these backups automatically on a regular basis. The backup data can be used to restore the database and all attachments at a later time.

Manual backup

Note

For production environments with more than 25 users or more than 20,000 items, it is recommended to use native database and file system backup tools instead of the internal backup setup described here.

  • Go to the Administration perspective. From the main menu, choose Server Management > Backup.

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  • You will see a list of existing backups. The default naming scheme is <YYYY_MM_DD_HH_MM>. You can, however, choose any name.

  • The backup item may take some time to complete. You can choose to be notified by email when the backup is complete.

  • You can also choose whether to include the attachments in the backup process or limit the backup to the data in the database. Selecting the attachments has the advantage that the attachment metadata in the database and the attachments remain consistent. You can also decide to back up the attachments with your normal operating system backup functions.

Note

You cannot run a backup if an automated backup is running at the same time. You have to wait until the automated backup item is finished before you can run your manual backup. By default, the automated backup runs Monday through Friday at 11:15 p.m. each night (server time).

Note

The backup data is placed in the directory you have configured for attachments, in a subdirectory called “dbBackup”.

Automated backup

You can enable your system to create backups periodically by itself. To enable automated backups, select the appropriate checkbox. You can then choose which days of the week and at what time on each weekday you want to create a backup.