CRM Backups
How to Backup CRM Data
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It is essential that you backup your CRM Software Data and Documents on a regular basis, at least once per day. Otherwise if your disk fails or your PC is stolen you will lose all your customer data.
It is no good keeping your backups on the same disk as your software. If the disk fails or someone steals your PC, your backup will also be lost. You need to copy the backups to separate storage away from your PC, maybe online or to memory sticks or CDs that are kept away from your PC.
None of your customer data is stored on our servers. It is all stored on your disks and it is essential that you make regular backups.
What needs to be backed up ?
It is essential that you backup the following data
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Customer Database - This is the file customer.mdb unless you have changed the configuration to use SQL Server.
(If you are using SQL Server it is essential that you backup your SQL Server customer database).
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Configuration Database - This is the file config.mdb which is located on each client PC. This file will be the same on each client PC.
Note that if you are running an old version of the software, this file may not be present in which case it doesn't need to be backed up.
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User documents and files - These are stored in the Documents folder.
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Document templates - These are stored in the Templates folder.
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Reports you have generated - These are stored in the Reports folder.
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Exports you have generated - These are stored in the Exports folder.
Where are all the files that need to be backed up ?
By default, if you haven't changed the configuration, the Data Folder will be
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Amphis Customer v3.0
On Windows XP this will be
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Amphis Customer v3.0
The customer.mdb file and config.mdb file will be in that folder as well as the Documents, Templates, Exports and Reports subfolders.
If you haven't changed the configuration, you can get to the location of the database and folders by selecting Tools->Folders->View Data Folder.
If you have changed the configuration to store data, documents, templates, reports or exports somewhere else, it is essential that you backup the files from their new location. You can check the location of the files from Tools->Configuration.
Performing the Backup
Close down all instances of Amphis Customer before performing the backup. We suggest creating a backup folder for each day, copying the files to that folder and then copying them to an external drive or to online storage so if your hard disk fails or your PC is stolen, you can still get to the backups.
Check you are backing up the correct files
Check the size and Date Modified of the customer.mdb file you have backed up. The customer.mdb file should be getting larger each time you back it up and the Date Modified should reflect the last time you created or updated any records. Check that the Documents folder has files in it. There will be a subfolder for each customer. Check that files are being created in there.
Test Your Backup
We recommend checking that your backup policy is backing up the correct data. To do this, you can change the configuration in Tools->Configuration to point to your backup database (customer.mdb) and your backup Documents and Templates. This enables you to check that your backup contains all the data and files you think it does. If you click Search, check that you see all the records you would expect to see and also try opening some of the documente eg Invoices.
It is better to check that your backups are ok when your system is working. One day you may need to rely on your backup and it is too late then if you find you have been backing up the wrong files.
Don't forget to switch the configuration back to your normal configuration once you have checked that your backups are ok.
Reloading Your Backup
If you need to reload data from your backup on a new PC, simply install Amphis Customer by downloading and installing the .msi file from our home page. Then run Amphis Customer and go through the Setup pages as before. Then go to Tools->Configuration. Go the the data folder, templates folder, documents folder etc. Close down Amphis Customer and then copy the files from your backup to replace the files you see.
