I have just taken the plunge and migrated a database that formerly resided on my hard drive to a FM Server here in my office. (I am somewhat experienced with FMPro but a total newbie with Server.) But sometimes I want to take a local copy of the database with me when I go somewhere without net access. I had thought that a "Save copy as" script would do the trick nicely but discovered that it doesn't work with remotely hosted files. (Annoyingly, FM's "Help" doesn't mention this limitation; it says that "Save copy as" isn't web-compatible but does not indicate that it's also not server-compatible.)

Have I misunderstood the situation? Is there some workaround? This seems like it would be a fairly commonplace thing to do.

No you have not misunderstood the situation. Save as a copy is not available on server.

The servers built in backup routines will give you what you want

HTH

Phil

Thanks for the quick reply. But I could use some clarification. My understanding of the server's built-in backup routines -- an understanding, I hasten to point out, that is based solely on what I've read online (including this forum), and not on any first-hand experience -- is that FM Server can generate automatic backups to a file path that is on the server computer. I need a backup on a client computer. How do I coax FM Server to do that?

FM Server can generate automatic backups to a file path that is on the server computer. I need a backup on a client computer. How do I coax FM Server to do that?

FM Server can't do that for you, you have to use some other means of copying the database files from the server to your desktop. You could use an SFTP client to download them from the backup folder. If you're going to download them often, maybe you'd create an AppleShare for the Backup folder to get them that way.

Those are for manually copying the files, you may also want to set up an automated copying of files from Backup to some other computer. I use a scheduled script to run rsync for backing them up to another server.

Part of the reason for FM Server's inability to save a file locally is because, generally, you DON'T WANT OTHER COPIES MADE (sorry for shouting).

Once a file is served, it needs to be the ONLY instance of that file. Otherwise confusion reigns as data is added to random copies of the files and information begins to "disappear".

It's a nightmare.

Even if you do manage to control the duplicate copies (which I'm sure you'll say you will) the nightmare then becomes the synchronisation of the data. It may seem easy but it's not.

Other posters have been polite. I'm going to say, bluntly, that you DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE. :)

In addition to the foregoing, all of which contains excellent advice, let me say that "Save a Copy" is not really a good way to make a backup of a file. If FileMaker Server [color:red] is not being used, you should close the file, exiti FileMaker Pro, and make a backup at the OS level. You want to be sure that the file is completely closed and all cache is flushed before copying for a backup.

Steven