Backup and Restore

[DigitalDreamer]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone would know of a plugin or script that can backup all the data in a filemaker database and then be able to restore it if they need to. Right now in my solution i have to tell the customers to export to excel and then import from excel and then line up all the fields so they match and then import. Thats fine for me but for customers who dont know to import and export it can be a hassle. Is there a easier way? Thanks for any help you can give me.

[SteveB]

Depends upon your definition of backup and restore. I work exclusively on the Windows platforms. When the user is about to exit the solution I create a zip file of all his data files and store them in a backup folder. I also give him an option to save to a removable drive like a Zip or Jaz. If the file(s) should get clobbered, I have a utility that will restore the latest version back into the working folder. This puts minimum burden on the user. Yeah, he's lost whatever he's done since the last time he closed the solution, but it's a small price to pay for not having users mess with 'Recover'.

[DigitalDreamer]

Do you have this scripted then?

[SteveB]

I use WinBatch to create the zip files and to do the unzipping. It's the functional equivalent (and probably more with over 1500 separate functions) of Applescript. So some of the procedure is scripted and some is WB. If you wanted to leave out the zipping, you can do the whole thing with a plugin like Troi File (which I also use and recommend).