Dear All,
I have a query that can we take only data backup in NAv so that it becomes easy for us to take backup of large database in short time.
regards,
suman
Not sure I follow you here. Since the data is the vast majority of the database’s content, how would this allow ‘backup of large database in short time’? Can you better define the problem you are trying to address?
Hi Suman,
You have several options for improving backup speeds, but I don’t think the approach you’re asking about (backing up only data) would be one of them.
First of all, excluding the objects from the backup won’t save you that much time. Try running the native Navision backup process to create an “objects only” backup. The time it takes to run that backup would approximate the time you might save by excluding objects from your backup. I think you’ll be surprised at how little time it might actually save you.
The second and most important issue that comes to mind has to do with the nature of the backup file that this approach would produce. You would have data in your backup file, but you would not have a copy of the objects that were current when you made the backup. So then, when you have an emergency and need to create a new database to restore your backup into, the restore process would fail because there wouldn’t be any objects (specifically tabledata and table) to restore the data into. And believe me, this is not the time that you want to be scrambling around looking for missing pieces.
You have a number of other options for improving your backup process so that it takes less time to complete. Some of the things you might try include: optimizing server performance (you can find all sorts of info on that topic in the usual places); optimizing the database; minimizing network traffic (run the NAV client from the same machine as the NAV server, save the backup file to a local drive on the NAV server, etc.); if you have more than one company in the database, splitting up the backup process so that you backup half of the companies on one night and the second half on the next night (this may not be an option if you’re using InterCompany Postings or other features that affect multiple companies in the same transaction); archiving old data from prior years; or deleting all of the Cronus companies from your live database.
Of course, the most important step in making a backup is proving that it can be restored! If you don’t validate your backup like this, then you don’t really have a backup.
Before you jump into any of these options, please note that I don’t know any of the details of your specific system, so all of the suggestions I’ve made here should only be taken as mere topics for your consideration. Do your homework before doing any of this. And, coordinate with all of the interested parties in your company.
The first place to start would be documenting baseline metrics: how big is the database, how many companies, how long it takes to do a full backup using your current procedures, etc.
I know this is a long answer. Sometimes they need to be. In any case, I hope you find something in here that’s helpful.
Whereas I agree, that I don’t understand why you need this in a customer situation. Unless of course your have (like several of my customers) test-copies of their production companies allowing the users to test out things on themselves. And it’s a good training as such. But today most customers are running the backup via their SQL Server, in which case its rather difficult to setup up a data only backup or even specify only to backup part of the companies. And it’s often so fast that it doesn’t matter anyway.
But if you want to do it from within NAV using the classic client, then here is how to do it.
From NAV select Tools, Backup and then specify to only backup “all companies” or selected companies.
Thank you so much… 