Backing up the Database

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Since ServiceCEO contains so much valuable data, it is wise to periodically backup the database to protect yourself from data loss in the event of system failure, theft of computer equipment, or other unforeseen accidents. To protect you from any significant data loss, ServiceCEO lets you backup your entire database.

Tip:
You should regularly backup your database in order to minimize the possibility of losing any data. We also recommend that you keep this backup file for at least six months, just in case you need it.

Backing up a database saves your data in a backup file with a .scb extension. This file type stands for ServiceCEO Backup. Note that only .scb files can be used as a ServiceCEO database.

Tip!

Tip:
You can back up a database to anything that maps to a drive letter (CD Drive, USB port, etc.)

Caution:
Your computer may recognize the ServiceCEO backup file as a .zip file, not a .scb file. If this occurs, do not be alarmed - your computer has just confused two different types of file compression. Simply change the extension of the file back to .scb to fix the problem. To rename the file extension, right-click the file, select Rename from the pop-up list, and change ".zip" to ".scb".
Note that this solution will only work if you can see your file extensions. If you cannot see file extensions, you must first instruct your operating system to turn them on. To do this, open Windows Explorer. Select Tools > Folder Options. Click the View tab. Deselect the Hide extensions for known file types check box - it should now have no visible check mark. Click OK to display your file extensions.

To back up your database:

Verify that all users are logged out of ServiceCEO.
On the server computer The computer hosting the ServiceCEO database. As opposed to a "client" computer, which is a user computer connecting to the ServiceCEO database on the server computer., select Start > Programs > ServiceCEO > ServiceCEO Backup and Restore. The ServiceCEO Backup and Restore Wizard appears.

Click Next. The Backup or Restore Database screen appears.

Select the Backup a ServiceCEO database option button is selected.
Click Next. The Backup File Location screen appears.

ServiceCEO's default backup location is C:\Program Files\ServiceCEO\backup\. If you would like to change this location:
- Click Browse. A dialog box appears.
- Browse to the location that you want to save the backup file.
- Click OK. The file you selected will appear in the destination drive or directory field.

Note!

Note:
Your backup file will automatically be named with the date and time on which the backup is being run. For example, if you ran a backup on November 10th, 2006 at 11:30 AM, the backup file would be named ServiceCEO_Backup_11-10-2006 11_30- AM.scb.

By default, the backup will be made based on your default ODBC Short for Open DataBase Connectivity. ODBC is a standard database access method developed by Microsoft®. ODBC enables access to any data from any application, regardless of which database management system (DBMS) is handling the data. settings. If you want to change the location on which you want to make the backup, perform these steps:
- Clear the Use Default Settings check box.
- From the Server drop-down list, select the server on which the database you want to backup is located.
- Select the name of the database that you want to backup from the Database drop-down list.
Click Next. The database backup begins. It may take a few moments to complete the backup; please be patient. When complete, the finish page appears.
Click Finish. The ServiceCEO Backup and Restore dialog box closes. Your database is now backed up!

See Also: Scheduling Automatic Backups

Next Topic: Restoring a Database