question on backing up access db (97)

[OM]

Hi,

I have an old access db running on the server. I would like to be able
to back it up every evening. However, some of the users might leave the
db often when they finish their and this render the backup program not
able to backup the open db.

My question is that if I create a batch job that copy the db to another
location every time before the schedule backup and have the backup job
backup the file in the new location. Would this be a problem even though
the users forget to close the application at the end of the day?

Thanks

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Try doing a search on-line for "MS Access Log off idle user".

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

I have an old access db running on the server. I would like to be able
to back it up every evening. However, some of the users might leave the
db often when they finish their and this render the backup program not
able to backup the open db.

HOW TO: Detect User Idle Time or Inactivity in Access 2000 (Q210297)
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=210297
ACC: How to Detect User Idle Time or Inactivity (Q128814)
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=128814

However we found that the code which runs on the timer event must be
disabled for the programmers. Otherwise weird things start happening
when you're editing code.

Also print preview would sometimes not allow the users to run a menu
item to export the report to Excel or others. So you had to right
click on the Previewed report to get some type of internal focus back
on the report so they could then export it. This was also helped by
extending the timer to five minutes.

The downside to extending the timer to five minutes was if a person
stays in the same form and at the same control for considerable parts
of the day, ie someone doing the same inquiries, the routine didn't
realize that they had actually done something. I'll be putting in
some logic sometime to reset this timer whenever they do something in
the program.

My question is that if I create a batch job that copy the db to another
location every time before the schedule backup and have the backup job
backup the file in the new location. Would this be a problem even though
the users forget to close the application at the end of the day?

It would probably work most of the time. But that's not really good
enough for backup purposes.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/

 

[Guest]

It sort of works,

Although of course it is a bit embarrassing to
use a "sort of works" solution for backups.

You can't use "xcopy" to copy the file, because, like
some backups, it requires exclusive locks.

You should use the /b switch if you use "copy", because
copy used to use text mode by default, which could
truncate your mdb.

If you copy while people are connected, you might
loose something, because there might be a half-written
page, with incomplete writing and pointers.

But I say that it sort of works, because I had a system
using an hourly backup like that for years, and the backup
files always worked ok when we needed them.

But we also had a proper backup every night, with
everybody out.

(david)