Backup Procedures

"You never know what you’ve got until it’s gone".

In terms of your computer system, this is one rule you don’t want to live by. While people and their businesses have come to rely heavily on their computer systems, many rarely give thought to how they would cope if one morning their computer wouldn’t switch on. A computer crash, theft or even fire may have a very real and drastic impact on your work and, as such, a recovery plan needs to be given due consideration. A critical part of any recovery plan is your regular backup procedure. The correct backup procedure will mean that you are prepared for the day you hope never comes. Consider it an insurance policy for your computer system.

So what makes a good backup procedure? Well the answer is not as straightforward as the question and depends a lot on your system and your hardware. Here are a number of key points that you should review to decide if your current backup plan is suitable.

What should I backup?
The short answer is everything, but this is not always practical. Applications and operating systems can be re-loaded if necessary from their original CDs, but remember this re-installation and configuration can be quite time consuming.

The minimum requirement for a regular backup is your data files. Data files are your documents, spreadsheets, templates, databases, etc, anything that would need to be re-keyed if your computer crashes. In a network environment you should always centralise data onto the server so it can be easily backed up using one central device.

What backup device should I use?
While computer storage capacity has increased (a standard size Hard Disk is now 40Gb!), backup devices have struggled to keep pace. A single floppy disk can only hold 1.44Mb of data, a ZIP drive 250Mb, a writeable CD around 600Mb, QIC tape drives up to around 8Gb, and DAT drives up to 20Gb. If your backup is to be run as an overnight process you need to have a device that will have the capacity to meet your needs. When you start to compromise (i.e. backup some data one night then other data the next) you compromise the completeness of your backup.

Whatever hardware you choose, the backup media needs to be independent of the computer. Taking copies of your data to another area on the hard disk, or another machine is OK for a temporary backup but what happens if the machine is stolen? Your backup goes with it!

How often should I backup?
Daily is really the only safe bet. An ideal backup is run outside of working hours (overnight) as it ensures that data is not in use and can be backed up successfully. Most backup software provides the ability to schedule backups.

How many backups should I keep?
A good backup procedure will keep a number of copies of backup media that get re-used through rotation. You might find that a file was deleted accidentally off your computer 2 days ago and wish to restore it from tape, but if you only have one backup tape then it will have already been overwritten and the file lost forever. A minimum rotation would be 5 tapes, Monday through Friday, with a regular monthly backup that is separate from the 5-tape rotation.

How do I know if my backup has been successful?
It is imperative that your backup procedure/software provides you with a log of whether the backup was successful and that this log is checked after each backup. Just because you put a tape in the drive before leaving doesn’t mean the backup will be performed correctly. Always have someone who is responsible for checking that the backup is working correctly every time.

Where should I store my backup?
Backups are your lifeline against disaster and should be stored in a safe place such as a fireproof safe. A thief won’t think twice about taking your backup tapes if they are sitting next to the computer they are stealing. It is also wise to keep extra off-site backups so you have copies in 2 separate locations.

In the end the best way to decide what backup procedure you need to implement is to ask yourself a simple question. "Can I afford to lose this if my computer is stolen or crashes?" A little bit of thoughtful planning now may save you hours (or even days) of painful reflection after the event!

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  How Do I?

How do I get a total for the number of families attending the school?

The Family List report will give you the number of families currently at the school. You can run it to show All Families, Existing Families only and New Families. New Families are those that only have pre enrolments at the school. Existing Families are those who have students at the school.

	Go to REPORTS>FAMILY>LIST
	On the left side of the Report form is an area called OPTIONS. The top drop down box in this area lets you select whether you want the report to: Show All Families Show Existing Families Only Show New Families Only Select the option you require and run the report.
	The last page of the report shows the total for the Number of Families that have been selected for inclusion in the report.

How do I get a total for the number of families who attended the school last year?

To get the total number of families for past years isn't so easy as SAS2000 does not record start and end dates for families, only for students. The information can be obtained in the following way provided you have recorded start dates and end dates for students and the Family Records haven't been removed from SAS2000.

The following example assumes you are looking for the number of families at the school from 1/2/2001 to 31/1/2002.

	Go to PEOPLE>ENHANCED EXPORT
	From the Student folder select STUDENT CODE, FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, FAMILY ID, STARTING DATE and DATE LEFT SCHOOL
	From the Family folder select FAMILY CODE
	From the Alumni Record select STUDENT CODE, FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, FAMILY ID, STARTING DATE and DATE LEFT SCHOOL
	Press PREVIEW to display the data

You now need to key in the following 2 filters:

	Click on the FILTER icon at the top of the STARTING DATE column.
	For the Condition, choose LESS THAN (<), and for the Value type in 1/2/2002. This will limit the export to those students who started prior to 1/2/2002.
	Click on the FILTER icon at the top of the DATE LEFT SCHOOL column.
	For the Condition, choose greater than (>), and for the Value type in 1/2/2001.
	In the And/Or field choose OR
	Now on the next line choose the Condition as IS NULL. This will include in the list any student still at school or who left school after 1/2/2001.

The next step is to export the data.

	Open the file in Excel
	Click on cell A1
	Go to DATA>PIVOT TABLE
	Make sure either Microsoft Excel list or Database is selected and click on NEXT
	All the information in the worksheet should automatically be highlighted so click on NEXT again

If you are using Office 2000:

	Select NEW WORKSHEET
	Click on FINISH
	Drag the Family Code to the DROP ROW FIELDS HERE box
	Drag the Family ID to the DROP DATA ITEMS HERE box. This will give you a list of all the Family Names
	At the bottom of the list of Family Names, under the Total column, key in this formula: =count(B5:B99) This assumes B5 is the first cell with a total in it and B99 is the last cell with a total in it.

Note: Don't use the Grand Total field on the pivot table as this is not the count of the number of families.

If using Office 97:

	Drag the Family Code to the ROW box
	Drag the Family ID to the DATA box
	Click on NEXT
	Select NEW WORKSHEET
	Click on FINISH. This will give you a list of all the Family Names
	At the bottom of the list of Family Names under the total column key in this formula: =count(B5:B99) This assumes B5 is the first cell with a total in it and B99 is the last cell with a total in it

Note: Don't use the Grand Total field on the pivot table, as this is not the count of the number of families.

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"If you don’t hear opportunity knocking, find another door"
Anon

Regards,
Heather McKay
Human Edge Software
Phone: 03 9690 5004
Fax: 03 9690 2802
Email: sas2000@human-edge.com.au

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