10.2 Backing-up Data

The back-up facility is available from the Control Panel. Back-ups should be done regularly. They ensure data security and provide `snapshots' of the accumulating data. Backing-up is also a convenient means of copying a project's files to another location.

If desired, and space is available, each back-up may saved to a separate directory, but otherwise they may be saved to the same directory each time. Ideally, the back-ups should saved on a separate host.

When the Share Server is running, back-ups can be done remotely from any workstation. Without a share server it is necessary to run the back-up from the computer on which the data have been saved or a workstation that can access them. With a share server, back-ups can safely be done whilst a survey is running.

Note that the data sets are saved as they exist at the time of the back-up. Any interviews that are running at the time of the back-up will not be affected, but their data will not be backed up.

The Control Panel back-up procedure is shown below.

1. Run the Project Selection Window.
2. Select the project.
3. Click Share mode button.
4. Click the Output button.
5. Press the Back-up button.

Using GEIS to perform back-ups ensures that all relevant data sets and catalogues are copied. However, a SAS program can be also used, as illustrated in Figure 26.

Figure 26: Example of programmatically backing-up interview data to a network drive during a running survey.