File Corruption/Retrieval

[AeroGuy]

A while back, I was working on my company database... I clicked on a certain file that holds the listing of all the company's Quoting info (so, a very important file) and the file "crashed"; that is, the file did not open and the FileMaker program was shutdown. Fortunately, I had a copy of the file that I had backed up just a day before that I used to replace the messed-up file.

I know that there is a "Recover" option in the File menu that you can sometimes use to fix some problems, but in my case, this button/option didn't work. My questions are: 1.) What causes this sort of error? 2.) How would I go about fixing this sort of error (if possible)?

In the event that I had a messed-up file and my server automatically backed-up the messed-up file before I discovered the problem, then I would be in deep trouble (as I would be stuck with two messed-up files and one angry boss).

Any insight on this subject would be appreciated.

Thanks,

AeroGuy

[Kundinger]

Hello 'AeroGuy',

In the 15+ years that I've worked with FileMaker, I have encountered this on rare occasions. To answer your questions...

1. could be many issues... network, workstation OS, server OS, FMP versions, solution design, etc.

2. you could use backup copies or do the 'recover' with COPIES of the files

Best solution...

- make sure your all workstations have the same FMP versions and are UPDATED

- spend the time to design a stable and efficient solution... extremely important for multi-user solutions

- create an archive strategy for your solution... (pre-deployment) with no records... for every version of your solution

- create a backup strategy... I prefer many backups... some to text files (data only), some as FMP files, some to the local hard drive, some to removable media, and some to hard drives on other servers... much of this can be automated

Hope this helps... Good Luck!

Bob Kundinger

[email protected]

[kenneth2k1]

I haven't been dealing with FileMaker for 15+ years, but I have seen this problem twice before.

I agree that with every change of the file structure, you should save a copy for backup. Then, if you cannot recover, then you can just import records from the damaged file into the backup.

I would have this in conjunction with some type of weekly (if not daily) backup solution.

In answer to your question:

1. What causes this error can be a number of different things. It could be corrupted data, an object that is corrupted on a layout, improper closing of the file.

2. What has already been suggested should minimize the risk of this happening. Usually the recover feature would work.

[AeroGuy]

Thanks, Dudes.