Installed Sm Bus Mgt with BCM and lost all existing business conta

[Guest]

I installed Small Business Mangement Edition 2006 with Outlook Business
contact manager. I already had BCM 2003 installed and with contacts. It was
only supposed to be an update. When I checked my business accounts, they
were gone. I need help finding and restoring them.

 

[Luther]

My guess is that, for whatever reason, it did a clean install of BCM 2,
instead
of upgrading you from BCM 1.

The first thing to do is verify you still have your BCM database file.

It should be in folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Business Contact Manager

It's likely that the database is still attached to the MSDE instance
(the service that manages databases) unless SBA removed MSDE and
reinstalled it.

If the database file is still around, let's find out if it is still
attached to MSDE, and attach it to your Outlook profile. Go to Control
Panel, Mail, Show Profiles, select your profile (you probably only have
one), Properties, Data Files.

Do you already have an entry for BCM? If so, what are the details?

If not, click Add, select BCM, OK. You should get the BCM 1st Use
Wizard and be able to select your existing database. If your your
database isn't there, you'll need to attach it to MSDE.

 

[Luther]

Something else occurred to me, based on other messages on this
newsgroup. Perhaps you created a new BCM database after the upgrade,
instead of choosing to continue using your existing database?

 

[Guest]

Hi Luther,
I am on the thread just above this one, but it seems to be the same problem.
I do have a vague recollection of electing to "create a new BCM database"
thinking that i would just transfer the old database over later. I thought I
was doing the safe thing - wrong I guess!
If this is in fact what I have done, do you have any suggestions for me. I
have already done a search on my C drive for *.msbcm and come up dry.
Thanks.

 

[Luther]

There's a menu, something like, BCM|Create or select database (I'm not
at my BCM right now). With that, you can select a your old db from a
pulldown.

..msbcm are backup files (really a zip file with a sql server backup
compressed in it). The database files end in .mdf, I believe (can't
check on this machine).

 

[Guest]

Hi Luther,

For the first time in many days I have some hope! I did a *.mdf search and
found a 194 MB file last modified on the date that I did the BCM update. The
file name is MSBusinessContact Manager.mdf. It looks like my lost database!
Can you coach me on how to import it. I'm a bit nervous now to do anything!
Thanks.

 

[Luther]

1) Make a copy of your MDF file to a new name. In case something goes
wrong and you need to start over.

2) Use the OSQL command described in this post
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...read/thread/cfc22a18b77fe36b/5ffd4b52bcfe47ca
to reattach you database to the instance.

3) After that you should be able to select the new database from menu
Business Tools|Database|Create or Select, or words to that effect.

Step 2 is tricky in that several things may go wrong, so you may want
to get the assistance of a co-worker, friend, or relative that knows
sql.

The good news in this department is that in v3 Beta they've combined
steps 2 & 3. MDF files in your directory show up in the Select database
pull-down, and BCM will attach them to the instance when necessary.
This is how they move databases from MSDE to Xpress.