Question:
How do I create a manual backup or copy and move an Act! database without doing a backup and restore?
Product:
Product Family: Act!
Product: Act! Pro, Act! Premium
Version: 2005 and later
Answer:
WARNING!
This process is only recommended under the following circumstances:
- You need to move a main (publisher) and/or remote database to new machines while retaining synchronization between the two databases (Act! versions 2005 - 2012)
- You are otherwise unable to create a backup of your database through the Act! program or by using the Act! scheduler
It is strongly recommended that if your scenario does not fall under the above criteria, that you backup or move the database according to the steps in the following knowledgebase articles:
Backing up a database:
How to back up and restore an Act! database
Moving a database:
How to move an Act! database from one machine or directory to another
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Refer to one of the sections below, depending on whether you wish to create a manual backup of the database files or whether you want to move the database without backing up and restoring the database:
Manually backing up the database
Copying the files
- Detach the database from the Microsoft SQL Server (ACT7) instance. For instructions, refer to the following knowledgebase article:
How to detach an Act! database from the Microsoft SQL Server (ACT7) instance
- After the database has been detached, exit the Act! Diagnostics utility
- Browse to the location where the database files are stored
- Copy the following items which correspond to your database:
- [databasename].ADF
- [databasename].ALF
- The [databasename]-database files folder
Important Note: Do not copy the .PAD file, as it will not be valid when you restore the database. A new .PAD file will be created when you restore the database.
- Paste the files to the location you wish to back them up to
- Re-attach your database to the Microsoft SQL Server (ACT7) instance by following the steps in the following article:
How to attach an Act! database using the Act! Diagnostics utility (ActDiag)
- Continue using your database as usual
Restoring the files
- Detach the database from Microsoft SQL Server, then exit the Act Diagnostics Utility
- Browse to the location where the current database files are stored
- Move the current database files, including the .PAD file to a new location
- Copy the backed up versions of the files to the same location as Step 2
- Open the database by following the steps in the following article:
How to open an Act! database using the .ADF file
- If you are satisfied with the data in the backup, delete the files from the location in step 3
Copying/Moving the database to another computer
Important Note regarding remote synchronization: If the database you are moving is going to another computer and is a main (publisher) database that remote databases synchronize to, or if the database you are moving is going to another computer and is a remote database, additional steps are required in order to ensure that synchronization is retained after the database has been moved. Refer to the following knowledgebase article for more information:
How to retain synchronization when the Publisher and/or Subscriber database is moved to a different computer
- Detach the database from the Microsoft SQL Server (ACT7) instance. For instructions, refer to the following knowledgebase article:
How to detach an Act! database from the Microsoft SQL Server (ACT7) instance
- After the database has been detached, exit the Act! Diagnostics utility
- Browse to the location where the database files are stored
- Copy the following items which correspond to your database
- [databasename].ADF
- [databasename].ALF
- The [databasename]-database files folder
Important Note: Do not copy the .PAD file, as it will not be valid when you restore the database. A new .PAD file will be created when you restore the database.
- Paste the files to an external storage device, such as a flash drive, or an external hard drive, then move them to the new computer
- Open the database on its new machine by following the steps in the following knowledgebase article:
How to open an Act! database using the .ADF file
- After verifying that the database opens properly in its new location, reattach the database on the original machine by following the steps in the following article:
How to attach an Act! database using the Act! Diagnostics utility (ActDiag)
- Delete the database from the original machine to keep from mistakenly using the incorrect version of the database. For information on deleting databases, refer to the following knowledgebase article:
How to delete an Act! database
Note: If you had any settings previously configured which required the database location in their settings, such as a database share, Microsoft Outlook Integration, Outlook synchronization, or Google Integration, those settings will need to be reconfigured with the database in its new location. For more information, refer to any of the articles which may apply to you below:
How to share and open an Act! database over a network How to use Microsoft Outlook as your e-mail client in Act! versions 2011 and higher How to set preferences for Act! and Microsoft Outlook Synchronization in Act! versions v17 through v20.0 How to set preferences for Act! and Microsoft Outlook Synchronization in Act! versions 2011 through v16 How to set preferences for Google and Gmail Integration in Act! 2013 through v20.0
