Basic fm 5.5 server layout modification questions

[scott23]

Hi friends,

I have been dropped into FM admin position by way of last man standing. Im concerned with making sure that i do not blow up the company's FM server with all of their invoicing and contacts.

That being said, they want some minor modifications to the databases for their invoices (4-5 different .fm5 databases). The modifications are simply aesthetic..so nothing fancy here.

So...what is the procedure for making sure i do not corrupt or lose any of the company's vital data - and still be able to do some basic layout modifications ?

• I know how to get into the remote admin to 'close' the databases that need mods. Should i clone or copy them prior to closing them ?
  

• Do i then use the clone on a client filemaker 6 pro box in order to make the layout mods?
  

• Should i just rename the old one to something else and then save this modified local file as the old name and then copy it to server 5.5 folder ?
  

• Then just open it up on either the remote admin or server manually ?
  

• Is this the same procedure for creating 'new' databases for the new fiscal year based on the same one from the previous year ?
  

All of the client's use opening scripts to open half a dozen fm5's in the morning, so i need to make sure the filenames are the same as the old ones in order to make sure the opening script still works on 20 clients. Any help would be incredibly appreciated !!

Thanks - the humble newbie.

[Vaughan]

I'd sit down with you boss and work out how much money the company will lose if the databases were down for 5 business days. For any company with more than a couple of employees, you're looking easily at $10,000.

Get your boss to spend this money on getting some profesional advice on updating the system. This profesional can be teaching you how to do it.

[scott23]

Thanks for the advice and your point is definitely well taken. I will indeed be pushing them to upgrade to 8.0 etc, [color:orange]but in the interim i need some quick practical pointers on how to modify layouts on databases that are being served from 5.5. I know its pretty simple procedure (albeit precarious with 5.5)...but nonetheless i need to know for short term.

[Ender]

If you have regular backups, it's generally safe to modify layouts while the file is in use.

Just be careful about putting users into unfinished or untested layouts. It may work best to make a duplicate of the layout, work on that, then when finished, copy all the layout element back to the original layout.