As a licensee you are responsible for managing the procedures that keep your data in the best possible condition. Where appropriate you should pass these details to your database administrator. Please review this short checklist of issues to consider.


A Secure Backup Routine of your SQL Data


SQL Server Standard and Enterprise editions allow a maintenance plan to be managed that can include a database backup. SQL Server Express cannot schedule or automate a maintenance plan; a database backup must be performed manually.


A full file backup of each SQL database and the system databases is required. These files can then be copied to other media such as a tape or online backup system.


A backup of the server hard disks alone is not usually effective as the SQL databases may be skipped when in use.


The frequency of your backup plan should also be reviewed. The frequency should be sufficient that in the unlikely event that it becomes necessary to restore a backup of the SQL data, the loss of data during the period is not excessive and would not cause disruption to your business. A daily backup is considered a minimum. Where Troika/WealthWorks+ is heavily used, an hourly backup, with transaction logging, should be considered.


Other File Backup Requirements


In addition to backing up the SQL backup files, any centrally located documents linked to Troika should also be included in your routine backup. These include:

  • Accounts and Financial Statements at  \\SERVERNAME\TWWDATA\Accounts, T:\Accounts
  • Statutory forms and returns at \\SERVERNAME\TWWDATA\Forms, T:\Forms
  • Other documents linked to Troika (scanned PDF files etc.)

 

A Database Index Rebuild


A rebuilding of the database indexes at suitable intervals is recommended to ensure the database is fully optimised. Please review the following article for further information:

SQL Database - Reindex scripts for scheduled jobs


A Database Maintenance Plan, Checking Integrity of Your Data


Microsoft SQL Server allows a maintenance plan to be used in order to check the integrity of the data, manage the transaction logs and produce reports if any problems are encountered.


Manage SQL Security


If the SQL Server has more than one application running from it, you must manage the security aspects of your SQL Server, including user accounts and their database mapping access.

  

More information about the necessary backup and maintenance requirements of the SQL database, and using our Troika SQL Utility (for SQL Express users) can be found here.


Please discuss with support if you have any queries about the items which should be included in your backup procedures.


These notes were last reviewed 03/2023.