Automatic Backup
How to set up a backup task using a scheduler
Sage 50's Automatic Backup is a utility that you can run from outside of Sage 50 to schedule backups of your company data. You can run it from a command line if you want.
In the Automatic Backup window, you are creating a configuration file, or the rules your backups will follow. You can create multiple configuration files if you want. For example, you might have a daily backup that doesn't include attachments or archived companies, but a weekly backup that does include these extra data types.
Complete the fields on the window and click Save. You must give your configuration a name at the time you save it.
How do I find Sage 50 Automatic Backup so I can start using it?
From within Sage 50:
- Open the company you want to back up.
- Go to File>Automatic Backup or select Automate Backups on the System Navigation Center.
Tip: From outside of Sage 50, click the Sage 50 Automatic Backup Configuration icon located on your computer desktop.
How do I restore a backup made automatically?
You restore an automatic backup in the same way that you restore a regular backup, using File, Restore. For more information, click here.
How do I know if a backup was successfully made?
- Open Sage 50 Automatic Backup.
- Click Open and select your configuration file. It has the extension PTC.
- Click View Log. This will show you the history. If View Log is disabled, no backup has ever been created.
- You should also browse to the location where you specified the backup to be stored and make sure that it is there. The backup will have a .ptb extension.
How do I delete a saved automatic backup configuration?
- Open Sage 50 Automatic Backup.
- Click Open and find your configuration. It has the extension PTC.
- Highlight it, right-click, and select Delete.
- Then, click Yes.
Note: If you have set up a schedule, deleting the configuration will not necessarily delete the scheduled task. For instance, if you used Microsoft Scheduler to schedule each backup, the scheduled task will remain even if you delete the configuration.
Tell me how to find out what the path is
- Open your company.
- Click Maintain, Company Information. The field labeled Directory will show you the exact path.
How do I set up users?
- Open your company.
- Select Maintain, Users, Set Up Security.
- Complete the fields to create users and passwords.
Backup Settings
Include, if available:
Company name in the backup file name:
This is recommended if you have multiple companies. It helps you easily identify the files and associate them with their company.
Archived companies:
Obviously, this could have a big impact on the time to back up, depending on how many or how large your archives are.
Attachments:
Attachments are files that you associate with transactions, using the Attach button on the Task windows. They can be any related document or image that further defines the transaction.
If a backup file already exists:
Automatically create a new backup file:
This is recommended as long as you have the disk space. It will add a sequential number to the name of the backup file. You should have more than one version of a backup available.
Overwrite the existing backup file:
When you overwrite each backup, you only have one version of a backup available. So if a backup were corrupt, you have nothing to fall back on. So we don't recommend this option.
Stop the backup process:
The process will stop if it encounters any backup file with the same name in this same location. An entry will be made to the log file.
Log Out Settings (Sage 50 Quantum Accounting)
All users must be logged out of the company in order for the backup to run. If you want to automatically log out any users who are logged in at the scheduled backup time, select the Log out users prior to running backup checkbox. If this checkbox is not selected, the automatic backup will not run if users are logged in at the scheduled backup time. Get more information about log out settings.
Scheduler Command
When you save the configuration, the command line to execute the backup configuration file builds in this box. If you use Microsoft Scheduler, you don't need to do anything with this; just click Schedule at the top of the window.
If you use a different scheduler program, you can copy and paste this command into your scheduler.
The command line provides the path for the Sage 50 Automatic Backup utility--PeachtreeBackup.exe. It also provides the location of your Sage 50 backup configuration file--filename.ptc.