BigTime Database Maintenance

BigTime runs on top of an SQL Server database. Even the desktop version of the system uses the desktop version of Microsoft's SQL Server. This section of the manual will cover some SQL Server technical notes as well as all the details you need to backup your BigTime database.

Backing Up Your BigTime Database

While there are a number of things you can do to manage your BigTime database, creating a solid plan for backing up the system is an important priority.

SQL Server is different than other programs. The file that holds your data is kept "open" by the computer, so is always ready to feed that data to programs that need it. That makes it fast, but it also means that many backup systems can't backup your data file since they aren't able to backup "open files."

So, you'll need to take responsibility for creating a database backup. There are three backup options, and each one is detailed below.

Option #1: Creating a Simple (Desktop) Backup

From the Monitor, you can select the Maint... Backup Database... Backup Now menu item. When you do, the system will create a manual backup of your BigTime database file and it will ask you where you'd like to put that file.

Note that once you run a backup manually, the system remembers where you asked it to place that file, and it will create a new file (with a new date/time stamp) in that same directory until you go back, run a manual backup, and ask the server to change the directory.

You should back these files up to tape or to another disk so that you can recover them in the event that your server fails. Backing up the files in the BigTime directory may not be enough (since your database data files are "always open")!

Option #2: Regular (Scheduled) Backups

The BigTime Monitor supports regular scheduled backup transactions automatically. You just have to configure it. Note that you should run the Manual Backup (see above) at least once, so the automated program knows where you'd like your backup files to be stored.

1. Open up the BigTime Monitor, and click the Scheduled Transactions folder.
2. Right click in the open pane (right hand side), and choose "Add New" menu item. There, you'll be able to select the transaction type you'd like to add.
3. Choose the Backup Database task and click the CREATE button
4. Click SCHEDULE to adjust the task's schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) and then SAVE when you're done.

The scheduled task will create a new database backup file (date/time stamped) each time it runs, and you can backup those files using your regular backup program.

Option #3: Integrated SQL Server Backups

If you are using the workgroup/enterprise version(s) of BigTime, then the Monitor shouldn't be used to backup your database files. Use the backup features built into SQL Server instead.