If you have a lot of GP users, this backup can be very helpful and can save a lot of time for a server restore, migration, or simply setting up a new test or QA server.
It is very easy to forget to perform this backup after all of those events, so it is a good practice to just schedule a monthly backup.ģ) SQL security settings: Run the "Capture_Logins.sql" script (which can be obtained from your Microsoft Dynamics GP partner) to backup all SQL Server logins and password information. Tape is fine as one element of an overall backup strategy, but it is also strongly recommended that you always have some SQL backup files that are accessible on disk.Ģ) Dynamics GP application: This backup doesn't have to be performed very often-typically only after a customization is added, a new GP module or 3rd party product is added, or GP is upgraded as part of a service pack or hotfix.
It theoretically works, but when you need to urgently recover your GP databases, the last thing you want to do is have to rely on tapes and 3rd party backup software as your only backup source. It is not recommended to use backup software to backup SQL databases directly to tape. You should keep several months of monthly backups (at least 3-6), since you may have a situation where you need to recover something that was older than a 2 week or monthly backup rotation.
You can then backup those SQL backup files to tape or an archive disk for longer term storage. It is recommended that you perform nightly standard SQL Server backups to disk first, and keep at least 3-5 days of backups on disk so that they are easily accessible. If your data drives fail, you don't want your backups to be on those drives as well. When you setup your nightly backup job and transaction log backups, you should save the backup files to a separate physical disk than your database files. The file will quickly become very large and too cumbersome to archive.įor ease of organizing and locating backup files, it is recommended to create a separate directory for each database. It is not recommended to append your backups to a single backup file. If you use the Maintenance Plan Wizard, make sure that you create and enable a schedule. Using the SQL Server Maintenance Plan Wizard, it is very easy to setup a scheduled backup job that will backup your databases and transaction logs-it takes less than 60 seconds to setup and test a basic backup plan.
If you are willing or able to tolerate the loss of an entire day's worth of data, you could do only nightly full backups and no transaction log backups, or you could switch to Simple recovery model with nightly backups. So if your transaction log backups run every 2 hours, you could possibly lose up to 2 hours worth of data entry or posting. The frequency of the transaction log backups will reflect how much data you are willing to lose in case of a serious issue with the SQL Server. Under the Full recovery model, the production databases should typically have a nightly full backup, and several transaction log backups should run throughout the day, typically every 1-2 hours during business hours. If you only have a few GP users, this step may not be worthwhile, but if you have more than 20 users, I would recommend running the script occasionally to save time in case you do lose your SQL Server.ġ) SQL Server databases: Ideally, the Dynamics and production GP company databases should be set to use Full recovery model, allowing for point in time recovery. The security settings can be scripted, allowing you to quickly recreate a large number of SQL logins. If you are using shared dictionaries that are stored in a different location, make sure to backup those files as well.ģ) SQL Server security settings backup: If your SQL server fails and you need to migrate to a new SQL server, it can be very helpful to have a backup of your SQL logins and users. An easy way to do this is to backup the entire Dynamics GP application directory-it's easy, fast, and often more reliable or less error prone than selecting individual files. Always make sure to include the Dynamics database as part of your company database backups, since it can contain very valuable information, such as Business Portal data, custom SmartLists created using SmartList Builder, Analytical Accounting setup tables, and user access and GP security settings.Ģ) Dynamics GP application backups: At a minimum, make sure to backup all of your modified forms and reports dictionaries, the t file, VBA files, and any files installed in the AddIns and Data folders. 1) SQL Server database backups: Make sure to backup your Dynamics database and all of your production company databases.