Archiving Data. The Benefits of Good Archiving Practices

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1 Archiving Data The term archiving refers to the process of moving historical data from one file to another, and sometimes one location to another, in order to preserve the data over time without losing the ability to easily access the data as desired. The term archiving can also refer to the process of backing up whole files of data and even folders of data to preserve those files and folders in case of physical damage to a server or damage to the system due to, for instance, a virus or the failure of a process to complete successfully. For most users of Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (formerly Timberline), data archiving is usually the final step in year-end processing. Many users, however, delay this step or skip over it entirely in their haste to keep up with the demands of day-to-day business. After years of use, data accumulates in transaction files and master files, systems can become sluggish in their performance, and the processes required to maintain your software can require significantly greater time commitments. Also, as some users can unfortunately testify, failure to archive data can lead to painful, time-consuming, and even catastrophic outcomes. The dedicated practice of archiving data not only protects against system damage or system failure, but can also improve system performance and enhance productivity. The Benefits of Good Archiving Practices 1. Moving data reduces file size, which reduces processing and reporting time. 2. Moving data reduces time requirements when you upgrade your current data. 3. You are able to combine your historical and current data for reporting purposes, but are also able to report on each separately. 4. You can streamline your selection lists to include only current records (such as with jobs, employees, invoices, etc.). 5. You can organize historical data in a way that makes it easy to find and access the data as desired. Decisions, Decisions! There are a number of strategies users can employ to archive historical data and to preserve data and protect themselves against potential loss due to hardware damage or system failure. While each approach can be used alone, the most comprehensive data archival policy will include all of these. If you don t already have one, now is a perfect time to create a company-wide data archiving policy. Here are some of the questions to answer and considerations for how you might want to proceed: 1. How often do I need to archive data? This depends on the needs of your organization. You will likely perform some type of archiving activity at least yearly, when you complete year-end processing and prepare for the new calendar or fiscal year, but mid-year software updates, version upgrades and other circumstances may warrant backing up or copying files before beginning the process. Page 1

2 2. Will I store historical data in my company folder along with my current data? Usually this is the case, especially if you want the flexibility to run reports from just current data, just historical data, or including both as the need arises. 3. Will I eventually want to store historical data in a folder outside my company folder? Over time, even your history files will become cumbersome. If you routinely include your history file in reports, but have many years of history and only need, for instance, the last year or two for reporting, you may want to consider moving older transactions from the history file in your company data folder to a current or history file in a data folder created specifically to hold archived data. Here s how to set that up: a. Create an archive data folder using File > Company > New Company in Desktop, or using File > New Company in TS Main. b. Give the new company a name that clearly identifies it as an archive, and begin the company name with a letter such as X or Z. c. In the Data folder path name field, enter the path to the archive folder or use the Browse button to identify the location of the folder. Create a new folder in a location outside of your active company folder to store the new company. d. Enter the name of the company again in the Data folder description field. Page 2

3 e. Mark the checkbox to Use current setup. Click OK. f. Now when you launch Sage 300 CRE, the new company will be available in the Open Company selection window. Using an X or Z at the beginning of the company name ensures that the archive folder appears below your active company folder in the list and reduces the risk that the archive folder will be selected in place of the active company folder. 4. How should I name the files and folders that contain archived data? Establishing a naming convention for archived data not only ensures consistency, but can allow all users, present and future, to clearly identify the contents of the file or folder. For instance, most applications will automatically create a file named History to store moved data, but what if you want to use named history files so that you can store data in logical groups or sequences? In this case, names such as History2012 or History2012Q3 might be appropriate. For archive folders, the name should clearly reflect its contents, such as All Closed Jobs, or Year End Be sure to define the naming conventions you choose and give examples in your written company archiving policy. 5. Will I want to create an archive of my entire company data folder at a moment in time so that I can easily go back to that moment for reporting purposes, particularly with regard to running General Ledger financial statements for prior years? As users of Sage 300 CRE General Ledger are aware, financial statements can be rolled back and printed for each month of the current fiscal year plus the full 12 months of the prior fiscal year. For example, if your fiscal year ends 12/31/12 and your current GL period is December, 2012, you can print monthly financial statements from January, 2011 through December, Once you close the fiscal year, however, you will no longer be able to easily print 2011 financial statements using the standard financial statement designs. If you want to freeze the ability to print financial statements for prior years, you can create an archive of your entire data folder to do so. Here s how: a. Once you have finished processing and posting all transactions for your fiscal year and are ready to run the Close Year task, first create a backup of your company data folder. Make sure no application files are in use before proceeding. In Desktop, use Common Tasks > Tools > File Tools > Backup. In TS Main, use Tools > File Tools > Backup. Page 3

4 b. Click Next and select Add Folder, then browse to your company data folder. c. Click Next and browse to the destination where the backup will be stored. Create folders for these annual archives that are separate from the folder used to store archived transactions and master file data. A folder name such as 2011 Financials might be an appropriate name for the folder, because it is the ability to print 2011 financial statements that is being preserved. Page 4

5 d. Enter an Archive Name, such as Z MyCompany All Again, this naming convention does not refer to the date of the archive or the current GL period, but to the full year of financial statements that is being preserved. e. Once the backup is created, use File Tools again to Restore the backup to the same folder where the backup was created. f. After the backup is restored, navigate to the location of the restored folder, right-click on the folder and rename the folder to the archive name; for example, Z MyCompany All Page 5

6 g. Next select File > Open Company and add the archived data folder to your selection window. Click Specify Folders and browse to the location of the restored folder. When you select the folder, you will be prompted to enter a description for the folder. Enter the same archive name used to rename the folder. Open Company screen, select the archive company and open it. h. The final step to creating the archive of an entire data folder is to rename the company. Use Common Tasks > File > Company Setting > General in Desktop, or GL > File > Company Setting > General in TS Main to change the name of the company to the archive name. Page 6

7 Moving Data i. After you create the archive copy of your company folder, you can now run the Close Year task in your active folder and continue processing. You will want to record any prior year adjustments in both your active company folder and your archive copy, so that year-end totals are identical in both folders. Experienced Sage 300 CRE users know that data records exist in transaction files and master files. Most Sage 300 CRE applications contain new, current and history transaction files and one master file. The process of posting transactions moves data from the new file to the current file, where the data remains until the user elects to move the data to a history file. As data accumulates in the current transaction file, transaction-based reports and processes begin to run more and more slowly and efficiency begins to suffer. Moving data from the current file to another file can help improve performance in the application. Having an archive policy in place before moving data ensures that archived data can be readily accessed when necessary. In most Sage 300 CRE applications, the processes used to move transactions and master file data are found in the application s Tools menu. Depending on the application, transactions can be moved from current to current, current to history, history to history, and history to current. Master file data must always be moved from one master file to a master file in another location. Before Moving Data First, make sure the application files are not in use. Then, always create a backup of your company folder before you begin moving data! Also before moving transactional data, consider how accessible the historical data needs to be. If you periodically need to include the historical data in reports with current data, move the historical data into a history file in your active company folder. As data accumulates in the history file and older data becomes less likely to be needed for reporting purposes, consider moving the older data to a current or history file in your archive company folder. The considerations are slightly different for moving master file records, such as employees and jobs. If you elect to move terminated employees from your active company folder to your archive folder, is a policy in place requiring that archived employees be searched before new employees are set up so that duplicate employee records are not inadvertently created? Also, if you move employees to your archive folder, will you also move all current and history check records to the archive folder for those employees? What rules are required to ensure that terminated employees and check records are not moved out of your active company folder until W-2s have been processed and mailed? Page 7

8 Job Cost has perhaps the greatest number of move options of all the Sage 300 CRE applications, and your archiving practices may be different for JC data than for other applications. Here are some questions to consider regarding Job Cost: 1. How long will I keep closed jobs in my active company folder? When you no longer need to access or report on a closed job, you may want to move the job to an archive folder. 2. For closed jobs, will I want to keep the job record in one location and the transactions in another, or will I want the transactions and the jobs records to stay together. For instance, if you store the transactions for closed jobs in the history file of you active company folder, but move closed jobs to an archive folder, you can run transaction-based reports from the history file in your active folder, but the name of the job will be missing from the report because the job no longer exists in that folder. Other job record data may also be missing from the report, and some reports will fail altogether if the job is not found. After Moving Data After you have moved data from one file or another, compact your data files to help better organize the data so that it will process more efficiently. Page 8

9 Here s how: 1. First, create a backup of your company folder. Then, in Desktop, run Common Tasks > Tools > File Doctor, or in TS Main, run Tools > File Doctor. 2. Select either Current data folder or All data folders and select the files you would like to compact by clicking the names of the files to highlight them. Warning: This process can take a significant amount of time to complete, depending on how much data is contained in the files selected, how many files you have selected, and whether you choose the current data folder or all data folders. 3. Check the box to Compact good files and click Start. 4. Review the File Doctor printout to identify any potential issues or errors with the files you selected. Copying Files Throughout month-end and year-end processing, as you begin to run Close Month and Close Year tasks, you are asked, Do you have a current backup of your data files? Regardless of the process that produces this question, it is important not to ignore it. Just because you have never had a process fail doesn t mean that it never will. If a process fails and a data file is corrupted, your only salvation is to restore the backup you created just before you began the process. One simple way to protect yourself against this type of mishap is to copy the files that will be affected by the process you want to run. Page 9

10 Here is an example: 1. In preparing to close the month or year in a Sage 300 CRE application, first make sure the application files are not in use. Then, run Tools > File Tools > Copy. 2. Click Next, then select the files for the application you are closing, in this case Accounts Payable. Hold down the Ctrl key to select more than one file. The Year-End Guide contains handy tables in Appendix B that show which files to copy for each application. Page 10

11 3. Click Open, and then browse to the folder where you will store the copied files. 4. Finish copying the files and then proceed with the Close Month, Close Year, or other task that prompted you for a backup. If for any reason the process fails, you need only rerun Tools > File Tools > Copy to restore the files. Backing up Creating backups of your data is the single most effective way to protect your data from loss or damage. Always create a backup first before installing updates, version upgrades, or new third-party software, whether it integrates with your Sage 300 CRE software or is just a new addition to your server. The following are the minimum recommendations for backing up: 1. Backup using a third-party software a. Backup your data and system files every night using a third-party backup software program. b. Ideally, backup to an offsite location, or at least backup to a portable device that can be stored offsite. c. Periodically check the settings in your backup software to make sure they are correct. d. If you are using a tape drive, be sure to clean the device regularly, as recommended by the device manufacturer. e. Important: Backup media may have a limited life and backup devices may malfunction! Periodically test your backups by restoring to an empty drive and testing the restored data. Page 11

12 2. Backup using Sage 300 CRE File Tools a. On a routine basis, or at least before performing critical changes to your software or systems, use the Sage 300 CRE in-product File Tools process to create a backup of your entire Timberline Office data folder. Whenever you receive this question, don t click Yes unless you have created a backup! b. Ideally, backup to a portable device that can be stored offsite, but at least backup to a system folder that is apart from your Timberline Office data folder. c. Restore the backup to an empty folder and test the backup. d. Use File Tools > Backup to create copies of your company folder at a points in time so that you can easily and effectively roll back to that time for creating past financial statements and other reports. There is no question that these practices of moving, copying and backing up data will take a little time out of your already hectic days, but benefits to you and the users of your Sage 300 CRE software can be significant. If at any time, you have questions or concerns about the archiving process, contact Sage Customer Support or your local Sage Partner. Page 12