A few suggestions to improve the file backup process:
(1) Provide an option to create an automatic backup every time the program exits.
(2) Allow the default backup file location (directory) to persist between sessions.
(3) As a default, append the date and time to each backup file, or append an incrementing file number, so that each new backup file does not overwrite the previous one. Ideally, allow the user to set a limit to how many old backup files are kept.
Agreed. I backup Manager data using my backup program, but upon consideration, the program itself should have some automatic backup functionality builtin to allow you to restore the last week/month or whatever.
One thing that I would like is the ability to restore the backup to existing business. By default it imports to a new business.
Automatic backups would give false sense of security.
Typically users lose their data when their hard-drive has malfunction or computer is stolen. Automatic backup saving onto the same disk is not really durable backup solution.
Also, I’m not really keen on reinventing a wheel. All backup programs do versioning so if you want to go back in time, you can.
That’s my point exactly @lubos. I do my backups to a NAS device, not to my computer hard drive. So every time I click the Backup button in Manager, I have to navigate to the NAS and find the directory. I’d like that directory path to be saved from session to session.
But you’re right, of course, I also rely on my regular daily backup process to make a copy of the current Manager file and save it on the NAS.
There is an easier solution too. When you click on About Manager, you will see where Manager is storing data. So you just have to make a regular backup of that specific folder.
I disagree that they give a false sense of security. That may be the case if you do not check your backups to make sure they are working.
But I like to backup to Google Drive automatically and just check to make sure it is working sometimes.
Of course it is easy to use Windows backup to backup at various times to various locations. But when backing up to Google Drive of some other cloud type as well as on a spare hard drive should eliminate the death of a drive, should it not?
The nice thing about having an automated backup process built into Manager is that it can be set to run every time you quit Manager, which means that the backup file is always up to date. Without that, there is a variable amount of time between quitting Manager and the next time the daily (or hourly) backup process runs.
I suppose I could create a Windows Task job triggered by exiting Manager that copies the data file to my backup drive. But it would still be easier and therefore safer if Manager could be set to make an automatic backup to a specified location when it exits, and if the manual backup directory that Manager uses would persist between sessions.
To back up
The best way is to use an USB flash drive or any storage not part of the PC you are using… and always backup when needed…
OR
Create a BRIEFCASE in your flash drive and Drag copy the Data file in to it.
Now ever time you plug in your Flash drive Right Click on Briefcase and Update ALL it will check the Manager data file and will sync data files.
@lubos, Just adding my support for this request, if it is not too distracting to more important tasks.
(2) Allow the default backup file location (directory) to persist between sessions.
