Introduction
This article will provide guidance on the backup requirements of LiveDDM to assist with disaster recovery and ensure the highest chance of business continuity.
LiveDDM Server
The LiveDDM Server is comprised of the following parts:
- Microsoft SQL Server
- File Share
When planning for disaster recovery, you must backup both the LiveDDM SQL data and the disk files included in the file share.
LiveDDM SQL Server
LiveDDM data is hosted by Microsoft SQL Server. As such, your backup plan must either include the data using the SQL Server backup process or by stopping the SQL Server process and manually copying the associated mdf and ldf files for the appropriate LiveDDM databases.
It is beyond the scope of this document to detail the backup process for SQL Server. There are many free and/or paid applications available on the internet that will handle this process for you. SQLBackupAndFTP is an example of such an application.
LiveDDM Data
Using a SQL backup utility
- Backup LiveDDM database
- Backup LiveDDMTemp database
Manually copying data files
- Copy LiveDDM.mdf
- Copy LiveDDM_log.ldf
- Copy LiveDDMTemp.mdf
- Copy LiveDDM_log.ldf
Note that the data files above may have different names. If you are unsure of which files should be copied, please email support@liveddm.com for further guidance.
File Share
LiveDDM exposes a folder on the LiveDDM Server that is used to store loose disk files such as documents and images. These files must be backed up and archived.
To find the share location, sign in to LiveDDM and navigate to Setup -> Office Setup -> Paths tab. The Image Path is the location of the loose disk files that need to be included in your backup process.
Backup Frequency and Location
It is highly recommended that a backup of the SQL data be performed at least twice a day and that a backup of the file share be done at least once a day.
All backups should be moved onto either a different physical drive, a different physical location (i.e., different machine or off site) or into Cloud storage for archiving. Cloud storage provides the greatest amount of protection and insurance for business continuity.