Nov 29, 2007

backup, backup, backup

MYOB TIPS and TRICKS
Compiled for our esteemed customers

BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP

This month’s tips comes about because one of our customers had a power surge at their office and nearly lost all data stored on their PC

Why backing up is important for your MYOB data

Backing up your crucial file is the SINGLE most important thing you will do in MYOB.

PC’s get stolen/missing; PC’s get damaged in a fire; PC’s get damaged if there is a sudden power surge in your area. Nowadays, it is also common to re-format the PC because your PC has been hit by computer viruses. Even new PC’s are known to break down because of hardware failure.

What happens to the data that is stored on that PC? They are lost and are not recoverable. Whatever backups in that PC are gone as well !

How should you backup – frequency and strategy

Set a habit of making regular backups – every day, or once a week.

The interval of backup depends on the volume of data that goes into the file, and how much you are prepared to re-enter / reconstruct your data in case your original data is lost.

You must have a contingency plan to backup your data and store it at a DIFFERENT location away from the computer. Store the backup well away from the office. Or e-mail a copy of the backup to yourself - it’s a good idea to have a password for the file in case your email goes astray.

You should back up on to some sort of removable media -- floppy disks used to be popular, but CD burners are fast becoming the preferred option. You can also backup
to a pen drive or to an external hard-disk. You might also consider archiving your data, once a year, onto a writeable CD-ROM to ensure you don’t lose all your data.

Have a separate disk for each day of the week, replacing the previous week's file with the current backup. Rotate the disk so that the most recent back up always overwrites the oldest.

How to backup (MYOB Accounting/ MYOB Premier)

To backup, select File, Backup from the menu bar. Then accept or rename the file that is displayed, and let MYOB create a zip file, saving it, by default, in the same folder as the MYOB program folder.

(Note : If you are saving your backup on a removable media (which you should), you need to change the location to save the backup to).


Other data maintenance

As well as backing up, we suggest that you Verify your file weekly and Optimise your file monthly. Both of these may take some time if your file is large, so set these going before making your morning coffee!

To verify your datafile, Select File, Verify Company File from the menu bar.

To optimize the file, select File, Optimise Company File from the menu bar.


Peace of Mind

By following these rules, you will protect your file as much as you can against the things that threaten it: fire, flood, theft, computer problems, viruses, power surges, data corruptions, etc.

P/S : If you are not sure how to perform a backup, data verification or data optimization, please call the Support helpdesk.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is there a way to set a default directory to back up to? eg a server file directory rather than having to specify it each time or copy and paste the file?

Is there a way of forcing a backup each time the software is shut down to that directory without user prompting?

Elaine Pang said...

MYOB requires you to specify the directory where you want to backup your files. You cant set the default server file directory.

You can set the reminder to remind you user to backup when they are about to exit MYOb. To set the reminder, go to Setup > Preferences > security. mark the option 'Prompt for Data backup when Closing'