How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Answer ID 19211 Please note: Answer ID documents referenced in this article can be located at: http://www.act.com/support/index.cfm (Knowledge base link). The following steps will assist you in creating and then restoring a backup. Please note that ACT! has security features which apply to backup and restore functions. Only Administrator and Manager level users have access to the database backup and restore functions. If you are unable to access these functions, please contact your ACT! Administrator. It is recommended that you send the backup (.ZIP) file directly to your local hard drive. In many cases, you will be able to send the backup file directly to a network drive or to a removable drive such as a Zip drive directly through the ACT! backup process. If you have any difficulty directing the backup (.ZIP) file to a location other than your local hard drive, you can use a Windows file manager utility such as Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy the backup file from your local hard drive, and then paste this file to a network location or removable media. The ACT! backup (.ZIP) file cannot be sent directly to a CD or tape backup system through the ACT! backup process. If you need to create your backup on CD or use a tape backup system, refer to the section for creating a backup to these devices. Do NOT use Windows Copy or Move functions to create a copy of the database as your backup. The ACT! database is connected to SQL and cannot be copied or moved successfully. A database backed up in this manner will not open. What files are included in an ACT! backup? Database Attached Documents Layouts Document Templates Report Templates Saved Queries Special Note for ACT! by Sage 2009 (11.0) users: ACT! 2009 users now have the option to reduce the size of backup files by excluding attachments from ACT! database backups, allow backups to complete more quickly, particularly if you have a large number of attached documents. This option can be done by un-checking the Include Attachments box on the Back Up Database dialog box. How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 1 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com
Personal Files may also be backed up. The ability to back up Personal Files is not limited to only Administrator and Manager level users. Standard, Restricted and Browse level users all have access to this function. Personal Files include: Documents that you have saved Internet links Spell check Dictionaries Menus and Toolbars There is a separate process for creating this backup, covered in the following Knowledge Base Answer: Title: How to Backup and Restore Personal Files in ACT! Answer ID: 19251 Database Backup: Note: If you are creating a backup of a shared database, you no longer need to log out all users while the backup is created. Follow the steps below to create a backup of your database. 1. Click the File menu, point to Backup, and then click Database. The Back Up Database dialog box appears: 2. Verify the location for the backup (.ZIP) file. In most cases, this backup file may go to a removable drive, to a network drive or to your local hard drive. If you have any difficulty directing this backup file to the network or removable media, you can use Windows Explorer to copy the file from your local hard drive, and then paste this file to a network location or removable medium. Note: You will NOT be able to send your backup file directly to your CD-ROM drive using the ACT! backup function. Click Browse (if necessary) to change the destination of your backup. 3. For added security, you may password protect your backup file by enabling the Password protect file option. Note: Once you have set a password for this backup file, the file can not be restored and there will be no way to retrieve the data without the password. 4. Click OK to start the backup. A Back Up progress indicator appears as the database backup is created: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 2 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com
5. When finished the following Backup messages appears. 6. Click Ok to return to ACT!. Restoring a Database: It is recommended that you restore the backup (.ZIP) file directly from your local hard drive. In many cases, you will be able to restore a backup file directly from a network drive or from a removable drive such as a Zip drive through the ACT! restore process. If you have any difficulty restoring the backup (.ZIP) file from a location other than your local hard drive, you can use a Windows File Manager utility such as Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy the backup file from the network or removable medium, and then paste this file onto your local hard drive for restoration. Special Note: The Microsoft SQL Server version used was changed in ACT! by Sage 2007 (9.0), therefore you cannot restore a backup created with a previous version of ACT!. You must uninstall your current version of ACT!, install the previous version, restore the database, reinstall your current version of ACT!, and then convert the database. Use the following steps to restore an ACT! database: 1. Click the File menu, point to Restore, and then click Database. The current database closes as the Restore Database dialog box appears: 2. In the Select type section, enable one of the following options: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 3 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com
Restore: This option is normally used when you do not need to change the name or location of the database or unpack and restore a remote database. The database was created on the machine to which you are restoring it. 1. Enable the Restore option, and then click OK. The following ACT! dialog box appears: 2. Click the Browse button. An Open dialog box appears. Browse to (if necessary) and Open the backup (*.zip) file, and then click OK. The following ACT! dialog box appears: 3. Enter your User name and (if necessary) Password, and then click OK. The following ACT! warning appears. Important Note: Files which were included in the backup and modified later will be overwritten. If you do not wish to overwrite files, Click No, restart the process, and enable the Restore As option (described below). 4. Click Yes to continue restoring the database. A Restore Database progress indicator appears as the database files are restored. How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 4 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com
5. When the Restoration is successful, the following ACT! dialog box appears: 6. Click OK to complete the process. 7. To open this database, click the File menu, and then click Open Database, or click the Open Database button. An Open dialog box appears. 8. Navigate to (if necessary) and Open the database (.pad) file. Restore As: 1. Enable the Restore As option if you need to change the name or location (to avoid overwriting an existing database with the same name as the backup file), and then click OK. The following ACT! dialog box appears: 2. Click the Browse button. An Open dialog box appears. Browse to (if necessary) and then Open the backup (*.zip) file, and then click OK. After selecting the database file to restore, the following ACT! dialog box appears: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 5 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com
3. Type in a unique name for the restored database in the New database name (no spaces or punctuation) field, and then click the Browse button at the To location: field. A Browse for folder dialog box appears: 4. Navigate to (if necessary), click the folder that you would like to restore the database to, (or create a New Folder) and then click OK. 5. Type in your User name, and (if necessary) Password for this database, enable the Share this database with other users option here (if necessary), and then click OK. The following progress indicator appears as the database is restored: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 6 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com
6. When the Restoration is successful, the following ACT! message appears: 7. Click OK to complete the process. 8. To open this database, click the File menu, and then click Open Database, or click the Open Database button. An Open dialog box appears. 9. Navigate to (if necessary) and Open the database (.pad) file. Unpack and Restore Remote Database: 1. Enable the Unpack and Restore Remote Database option if you would like to unpack and restore a remote database package to a remote user's computer (for the purpose of synchronization), and then click OK. The Restore an ACT! remote Database dialog box appears: 2. Browse to and open the (.rdb file) remote database in the Select the remote database file to restore field, and then (if necessary) browse to the directory that you wish to restore the database to, for the Database Location field. You may enable the Share this database with other users option here, if necessary. 3. Click OK. A Restore Database progress indicator appears as your remote database is restored: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 7 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com
4. The following ACT! dialog box appears when the restoration has successfully completed: 5. Click OK to complete the process. 6. To open this database, click the File menu, and then click Open Database, or click the Open Database button. An Open dialog box appears. 7. Navigate to (if necessary) and Open the database (.pad) file. How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database Page 8 of 8 www.ontheverge-inc.com