Backing Up Your MainBoss Database

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The MainBoss backup process creates a compressed form of your MainBoss database: a single file containing all the information of your database, stored in a special format that takes up less disk space. Here are some situations when you should create a backup file:

You should backup your database before any major change to MainBoss. This includes installing a new version of MainBoss or reindexing your database (as described in Reindexing).
Regular backups make it possible to recover from disasters like fires, floods, or major hardware failures (such as a hard disk crashing). Make sure you copy backup files to a different disk on a different computer system from the one that normally contains your MainBoss database. Many organizations copy their backups to a high-capacity diskette (ZIP or JAZ) and store the diskette in a different building. (Of course, many organizations already have procedures in place for backing up all their computer data.)
If you have a problem and contact MainBoss support, our support personnel may ask you to send us a copy of your database to help us correct the problem. In this case, you just use MainBoss's backup facilities to create a backup file; you can then send us the file (usually by e-mail).

To create a backup file, select Administration —> Database —> Backup from the menu. MainBoss will display a normal File Save window asking you to specify a name for the backup file. (Files are expected to have the file name extension .MZH.) Once you have entered a name, MainBoss will ask if it is all right to proceed with the backup. Click Ok to proceed.

Note: Before you begin a backup process, make sure that no one else is using the database. This means that everyone else should quit MainBoss before you start the backup; MainBoss will not perform the backup if anyone else is using the database.

After the backup process finishes, MainBoss displays a window indicating whether or not the process was successful. Click Ok to return to the MainBoss window.

Once you have created a backup file, you can treat it like any other file. For example, you can copy it to another location or delete the file when you no longer need it. You can also restore your database from the file, as described in Restoring Your Database From Backup.

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