Your data is a highly valuable asset of your business. In this chapter we will see how you can easily back up your Mekashron database, and if necessary restore a backup should the need arise.
Before proceeding to perform any backup and restore procedures, please note that these must always be done on your "server" installation of Mekashron - in other words the machine on which your database is installed. You will not be able to run any backups or restores from remote client machines which are connecting to a database on a separate server.
1 - Creating a Backup
To back up your database, while logged in to your main server Mekashron application, from the Main menu select Create Backup:
Figure 1.1 – The Create Backup Menu Option
This option will launch the Backup and Restore Wizard. The only option you need to specify is where you would like the backup to be stored:
Figure 1.2 – Specifying a Backup Directory
You can either accept the default directory location or specify one of your choosing, then click on the Next button. Mekashron will then back up your data, showing you the progress in a bar at the bottom of the screen:
Figure 1.3 – Progress of a Backup
Behind the scenes, the backup is taking all of your database data (which is located in your MySQL\Data\Applications database folder) and compressing this data into a ZIPPED format. The resulting file is saved with an extension of .mbk.
Once the back up is completed, Mekashron will show you a confirmation message:
Figure 1.4 – The Backup Complete Message
It is advisable to spend some time considering how often you should back up your data in case of disaster. Most of our clients perform a backup at the end of each working day as a safety measure.
2 - Restoring a Backup
To restore your database from a backup that you took earlier, you again must be logged into the application on your main Mekashron server installation, where your database resides. It is advisable to take an additional backup immediately prior to performing a restore operation, as your current database will be completely overwritten.
To proceed with the restore operation, from the Main menu select Restore Backup:
Figure 2.1 – The Restore Backup Menu Option
This option will launch the Backup and Restore Wizard:
Figure 2.2 – The Backup and Restore Wizard in Restore Mode
In Settings: Backup File to restore, please click on the folder icon to browse to and locate the backup file you would like to restore.
Figure 2.3 – Locating your Backup File
As you can see in the above screenshot, the backup files created by Mekashron have the extension .mbk and the name includes the day and month that the backup was created to help you locate the correct backup.
Once you have selected the file you would like to restore, click OK and then click Next in the Wizard.
You will see the progress of the restore:
Figure 2.4 – The Progress of a Restore Operation
During this process, the restore process is taking the zipped data from the backup file and overwriting your database with that data - in other words, the files are being restored to your MySQL\Data\Applications database folder.
When this process is complete, Mekashron will notify you that the restore has finished:
Figure 2.5 – The Progress of a Restore Operation
When you click OK, Mekashron will close down and reopen, this time with the restored database, and your restore operation is complete.