QuickBooks 2005: The Missing Manual

Backing Up Files

If you already have a backup procedure for all your company data, the QuickBooks Backup command might seem as useful as your appendix. Your company-wide backups regularly squirrel your data files away in a safe place, ready to rescue you should disaster strike.

Note

What you back up and how often is up to you (or your company's system administrators). But the decision hinges on the information you can't afford to lose and how much data you're willing to recreate in case of a disaster.

Still, the QuickBooks Backup command is worth learning. For example, before you experiment with a new QuickBooks feature, you don't want to back up all your data—just the company file. If the experiment goes terribly wrong, you can restore your backup and try a different approach. You can also call on the QuickBooks Backup command when you've worked hard on your company file, for instance entering hundreds of inventory items in one sweaty session, and the thought of losing that work makes you queasy. In both of these situations, running a QuickBooks manual backup creates a backup file immediately.

Note

QuickBooks backup files aren't merely copies of your company files. They are compressed files that take up less space, which is helpful whether you back up to floppy disks, CDs, another hard drive, or an online location.

If you have trouble remembering to back up your work, QuickBooks automatic backups are just what you need. You can set it up to automatically back up your company file ...