Backups

Backing up your Crows Nest Database is an essential part of using Crows Nest and avoiding data loss.

Crows Nest uses Microsoft SQL Server to store data in a database, which must be backed up periodically to avoid losing your database in the event of a catastrophe.

Files vs Database

Crows Nest integrates with the local file system to display your Project, Business, and Employee folders. These files and folders are not stored in the database and must be backed up separately, in addition to the SQL database. All other data in Crows Nest is stored in the database and will be protected by backing up the database itself.

We have listed some backup options below for you to consider. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of backup options -- Consult your IT professional for more options.

Manual Backup

To Perform a manual backup, you can use the Crows Nest Database Utility to make a backup of your database. To learn more about using the Crows Nest Database Utility, click here. You can also use Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio to make a backup of your database. A link to Microsoft's guide to backing up can be found here. We also have a tutorial in the help file for server migration in SSMS that you can access here.

Automated Backup

There are a number of options available to automate the backup of your database. One option is to use a Visual Basic script that will run a backup with Windows Task Scheduler. Another option is to use the SQL Server Agent Job with Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio to automate backups (not available on some versions of MS SQL Server). There are also many software options available to automate backup. Note: Some programming knowledge is necessary to initiate the first two options. Consult your IT Professional for help and for other automated backup options.

Automated Cloud Backup

You may choose to backup your Crows Nest Database with an online cloud backup solution. Please be sure to verify with your backup provider that it can backup a MIcrosoft SQL Server database. You might consider Carbonite, Acronis, or Idrive. These solutions provide an easy way to backup your database and provide peace of mind as the database is stored off-site.

Virtual Machine Backup

If you are using a Virtual Machine to run Crows Nest, you can back up the entire Virtual Machine. Consult your backup software's support or your IT professional for help if you do not know how to backup your Virtual Machine.