Feature Article: The Importance of Backing Up Your Data

April 2020    Tags: Accounts Payable, General Ledger, PracticeMaster, Tabs3 Billing, Trust Accounting

When was the last time you backed up your Tabs3 and PracticeMaster data and tested the viability of your backup? If your firm had to restore from a backup right now, would any data be lost? Regular backups are critical for your firm to make and maintain properly.

Internal Backups

Tabs3 Software ensures you are provided the opportunity to backup when needed.

• You will be prompted to make a backup in the software when the function cannot be easily reversed or when interruption of the process can cause errors in the data.
• When presented with a prompt to make a backup, ask yourself when the last backup was made and how much data will need to be reentered if a restore is required. If you are not comfortable with the amount of work required after restoring, then you should back up your data before going any further.
• If you regularly opt to not make a backup because it’s difficult to get every user to exit the software, consider the Platinum version. Platinum includes a HotBackup feature that allows you to make backups while other users are still working in the software and doesn’t require backups be made for as many functions, including Update Statements.
• If you are using the standard version of the software, you can keep up to three internal backups with a size limit of 2 GB each.
• If you are using the Platinum version of the software, backups are practically unlimited! You can keep up to 198 user-defined HotBackups, each limited in size only by the available hard drive space.

Third Party Backups

We also recommend making regular backups of the entire Tabs3 program directory via a third-party backup program.

• Third-party backups can help you recover from a catastrophic failure, such as flood, theft, server hard drive failure, etc.
• Backups made via the Tabs3 Software only back up your data files and do not include executable files to run the programs, nor is every file in the Tabs3 Current Working Directory included.
• If you already have a third-party backup in place, make sure that it is periodically tested to verify it is working correctly. For more information on testing your backup, see KB Article R10456, “Testing Your Backup System.”

Now may be the perfect time to take a closer look at your current backup strategy and to verify the procedures you have in place. If you cannot take the time to review procedures now, add a reminder to your calendar to review them as soon as possible. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security; backups that don’t restore correctly, or not having a backup, can cost you a great deal in both time and data loss.

For a list of resources on backing your data up and restoring, visit Knowledge Base Article R11524, “Backup/Restore Information Resources.”