SFD Version 6 has a built in backup service. It is imperative that you have offline backups for your data recovery plan. To make monitoring of your backups simple you should note the small disk icon in the bottom right hand side of the SFD window (see image below).
This icon indicates the current status of your offline backup, denoting when the last offline backup was completed successfully. Transactional Databases like the one employed within Version 6 cannot simply be copied live without some risk of the copy being incomplete or corrupted. An offline backup eradicates this risk by making the database inaccessible for updates while it creates a copy of the data, this does not preclude staff using SFD while the process completes.
To ensure your dental software does not slow down during normal use, we would recommend that the backup is scheduled to run outside of normal working hours, this is not however essential, some sites shutdown all their computers at the end of the working day, as such they chose to backup during lunchtime.
The backup icon will change colour as follows:
Blue - Backup is currently running- Green - Successful Backup
Yellow - There has been no successful backup in the past 3 days 
Red - Your last successful backup is in excess of one week prior
"Tip: Hover your mouse over the icon and you will be presented with a tool tip showing the status in plain text"
For our UK clients, you are required to have an offsite database backup as part of your disaster recovery procedure, having SFD automatically backup to a removable device which you remove from the practice and rotate on a daily basis is extremely important. An alternative is to have online backup, you should consider where this data will be stored as there are issues with exporting patient information, even when it is encrypted.
Even when you have an online backup it is worth having copies of the data throughout your network, if your server is stolen or fails it can take a considerable period to download your data, with a local copy you can be up and running within minutes.
For more information on setting up an automatic backup click here.
Systems for Dentists can provide an online backup solution, please call 0845 643 2828 or email mailto:sales@sfd.co for more information.
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