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      How to create an automated Database backup task for Acctivate.

      If you want to set up Acctivate to automatically back up based on a schedule, take these steps.

      You can setup a schedule to automatically backup your Acctivate company database.

      Important: Perform the following steps from the server not from a workstation.

      1. Log in as a Windows Administrator to the main Acctivate server (Primary Install) where SQL Server is installed.
      2. Open Task Scheduler from Windows Start Menu. In older versions of Windows, you’ll find this in the All Programs > Accessories > System Tools folder
      3. Click Create Basic Task…
        Create Basic Task
      4. Enter Acctivate Database Backup in the Name field and click Next >
      5. Choose the backup frequency for the Task Trigger then click Next >.  The default Daily option is recommended.
      6. Leave the default Recur every 1 days setting and click Next >. Feel free to update the Start time to a time of the day that works for your business.
      7. Leave the default Action of Start a program and click Next >
      8. Click Browse… to select the Program/script
      9. Click Computer in the list on the left to locate the Acctivate program directory.  By default, it should be located at the following location on your server:
        Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files (x86) > ACCTivate
      10. Scroll the list of folders and files in the ACCTivate directory then double-click AcctivateDBMaint.
        DB Maint
      11. Add arguments to choose which company and options then click Next >
        • For example, the following arguments will backup the Demo company.  These options will overwrite the existing default backup file (ACCTivate_Demo.bkf) every time it runs. Important: The arguments (i.e. /B, /C, etc.) are case sensitive:
          /B /C Demo /O /SILENT
        • Required Arguments:
          • /B : Backup.  This tells the utility to initiate the backup process.
          • /C : Acctivate Company ID. For example, /C Demo for the demo company.  Add double-quotes if your Acctivate Company ID contains a space (i.e. /C “Demo Company”).
        • Optional Arguments:
          • /F : Backup file name or path. The default file name (i.e. “ACCTivate_Demo.bkf”) is used if this option is not specified.
          • /O : Overwrite existing backup file.  By default, backups are appended to the existing backup file.
          • /SILENT : Suppress any popup dialog boxes.  This is recommended when running on a server
      12. Check the Open the Properties dialog for this task when I click Finish box then click Finish
        Summary
      13. Select the Run whether user is logged on or not option on the General tab and check the Do not store password option.
      14. Review the schedule on the Triggers tab.  The backup will run at the current time unless you adjust the Start Time. We recommend that you initiate the backup at a time when no users will be actively entering transactions.  However, the backup runs in the background and will not interfere with the use of Acctivate.
        Edit Trigger
      15. Click OK to save the changes to the task properties
      16. Select Task Scheduler Library on the left to view the newly created Task.
      17. Select the Acctivate Database Backup task, then right-click and Run to test the backup.
        Test Run
      18. The database backup may take a few minutes.  Press F5 to refresh the Status until it returns to Ready again.
      19. Scroll the grid to the right, expand and review the Last Run Result column.  Confirm the task completed successfully.
        Test Results
      20. Use Acctivate Database Maintenance to confirm the database backup file was created properly
        1. Launch Acctivate Database Maintenance from Windows Start Menu
        2. Choose Backup / Restore from Database menu
        3. Select the appropriate Company from the drop-down and click View Sets
        4. Verify the Date on the last Backup Set is current
          Backup Date
      21. Close the Acctivate Database Maintenance utility

      Congratulations!  You’ve now set up an automatic local backup for the Acctivate database.

      Add Database Backup File to your Backup System

      You’ll want to contact your IT/network administrator to ensure this backup file is being included in your backup system.

      By default, the database backup file is located in the Database folder under the Acctivate program directory.  The default Acctivate install including SQL Server 2014 Express on Windows Server x64 will create database backup files in the following folder:

      C:\Program Files (x86)\ACCTivate\Database\MSSQL10_50.ACCTIVATE\MSSQL\Backup\