Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Or if you don't want to get an email after this schedule runs, deselect the option and
leave the email field blank. The Schedule Summary panel appears.
14.
Click Finish
.
The “Enable this schedule” option is already turned on for you. Usually you'll create
a new schedule because you need it to run. But you can turn this option off if you
need to. Your new schedule is created and appears in the Schedule list.
In most cases, the built-in backup schedules are sufficient, but should the need arise,
FileMaker's scheduling system is almost infinitely configurable.
Enabling Progressive Backups
Progressive backups save changes to your database in log files, which are then saved to one
of a pair of backup files at an interval you choose. Because only a few changes are written to
the file at each interval, you can save progressive backups every minute if you want to. That
means that the oldest backup of your database will be no more than 60 seconds old. If the
worst happens and you have to use your progressive backup after a catastrophic event, like a
power outage, you'll have lost only a minute's worth of data entry. But this shorter interval
also means that you won't want to use a progressive backup if you don't notice a problem
right away. For instance, if you find out that your database has been corrupted, it's likely that
the progressive backup, being only a minute old, also has the same corruption in it. In that
case, you'll find the most recent scheduled backup file that hasn't been corrupted and use
that instead. So you should use both progressive and scheduled backups because together
they form a backup system that lets you choose the best file to restore based on the problem
you're having.
Progressive backups need a folder to live in, so you'll create a folder on your server or on a
remote volume before you can turn on the backup feature. This folder should be outside the
FileMaker Server folder structure and can even be on a remote volume on your network.
Backups will fail if the folder you enter isn't valid, so FileMaker Server gives you a Validate
button to test the folder you entered. If you have problems specifying a valid path, see the
FileMaker Server Help and search for “Tips for valid folders.” Once you have a folder cre-
ated, turn on progressive backups on the Database Server panel of the FileMaker Server Ad-
min Console (
Figure 19-17
).
When you select the “Enable progressive backups” option, FileMaker Server shows a mes-
sage that tells you the initial setup could take a while and may slow performance for your
users. But after that first go-around, you'll never notice it. If you have a busy server with lots
of users, you can make it easy on everybody by enabling progressive backups after hours, or
while everybody is away at lunch. Set the save interval and enter the backup path. Once the
