Database Backup

[Guest]

Hi all,
Here's the situation - I have a database which is becoming very large now.
Clients use the database throughout remote locations around the UK. At the
end of each month we need to pickup their data, to check their work and make
any necessary adjustments.
At the moment, we modem in (using symantec pcanywhere) and export all tables
and file transfer them back. However, as the data is getting larger and
larger, the file transfer is taking longer, too long.
We use 56k telephone lines because we are military based and the military
will only allow us to use 56k lines. (no broadband permitted).
I need to think of a way to sort this problem.
I have already tried to write a procedure to burn the data (tables) to a CD,
but could not get this to work.
Does anyone else have any suggestions as to how I can resolve this? Many
thanks.
(PS: Bear in mind the users are very basic users and would not be able to do
tasks such as burn a CD themselves, so the solution needs to be something
extremely basic.)

 

[Joseph Meehan]

Hi all,
Here's the situation - I have a database which is becoming very large
now. Clients use the database throughout remote locations around the
UK. At the end of each month we need to pickup their data, to check
their work and make any necessary adjustments.
At the moment, we modem in (using symantec pcanywhere) and export all
tables and file transfer them back. However, as the data is getting
larger and larger, the file transfer is taking longer, too long.
We use 56k telephone lines because we are military based and the
military will only allow us to use 56k lines. (no broadband
permitted).
I need to think of a way to sort this problem.
I have already tried to write a procedure to burn the data (tables)
to a CD, but could not get this to work.
Does anyone else have any suggestions as to how I can resolve this?
Many thanks.
(PS: Bear in mind the users are very basic users and would not be
able to do tasks such as burn a CD themselves, so the solution needs
to be something extremely basic.)

To start with are you compacting the databases from time to time. In
Access as with many other databases, when you "delete" something it is not
really deleted, but rather marked for deletion and hidden from view and
calculations. You need to "compact" to actually delete it. This includes
forms reports etc.

If you are not doing it zipping the files will reduce their size and
time.

I could not tell from your comments, but how much of the data being sent
back and forth is the same every time. Maybe it might be practical to only
report changes additions and deletions.