Back up data
Before updating, it is important to make a backup of your existing SiriusSQL database. More information on creating full database backups and differential backups is provided in the Salesware Modules, Licensing and Maintenance document.
To make a copy of your SiriusSQL database:
1. Go to your SQL Server.
2. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SQL Server 2008 and 2012) and drill down into the folders until you get to the Databases folder (Microsoft SQL Servers > SQL Server Group > Local > Databases by default in Enterprise Manager and one level below the root in Management Studio).
3. Highlight the SiriusSQL database and right-click. Select Tasks > Back Up (Management Studio).
4. On the dialog that is displayed, select SiriusSQL in the Database: dropdown.
5. Select the Database –Full in the Backup Type: dropdown.
6. In the Destination area click the Add button and the Select Backup Destination dialog is displayed.
7. If backing up to the hard drive, select the Filename: radio button. (If backing up to another device, select the Backup device: radio button.)
8. The default location for backing up to the hard drive is filled in the box (usually it is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\BACKUP\). You can use this default or click the ellipsis (…) to browse to another location.
9. Enter a name for the backup file after the backup location path in the Filename: field and click OK.
10. Verify that the Append to media radio button is selected in the Append to the existing backup set radio button is selected in the Overwrite media section on the Options page.
Note: You can select Overwrite if you are running low on hard disk space on the drive where you are backing up. It’s not absolutely necessary to select Append. Each time you back up with Append, you preserve the old backup set and create a new backup set in the same backup file. If you then need to Restore, you can select the latest backup or a previous backup. Sometimes clients are confused by this step and accidentally restore the wrong backup. Typically, you just need to restore the latest backup, so always selecting Overwrite is sufficient and saves hard drive space. But that is totally your option.
11. Click OK and the backup operation commences.
12. When the backup is complete, you get a message that the backup was successful. Click OK.
13. Exit Management Studio.
Note: It is vital that data and other important Salesware files are backed up daily during off-hours. If a catastrophic event (such as server crash, theft or fire) occurs, this makes restoring the system possible.
Note: Before they update, some clients run a Period Sales Report for a recent time period, for example, the current season or the last six months. This report is printed as a PDF so it can be compared to the same report (using Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat) after the update. This check is especially useful if you had to restore a backup (to ensure that the restore worked properly). Only allow salespoints to reconnect after you know the numbers are good.