When using Staff.Wiki on-premise, it is critically important to ensure that the data in your database and file system is being backed up on a regular basis, preferably daily. Automatic scheduled backup procedures should be implemented, and those backups should be tested frequently to ensure it is working as expected.

Note: WorkflowFirst Software LLC is not responsible for any loss of data that occurs because of a failed backup.

There are two portions of data that need to be backed up. The first is the SQL Server database, which stores the wiki text data and other Staff.Wiki records. The second portion is the attachments (images, videos etc.), which are stored in the file system.

Backing up SQL Server

There are two option for backing up SQL Server databases. The easiest is to use the SQL Management Studio, which can be downloaded from Microsoft. This has menu options and wizards that guide you through the backup process.

In order to automate the backing up of the database on a certain schedule, each night for example, you will need to download a utility called sqlcmd.exe which can be executed from a Windows batch file. The sqlcmd download can be found in the SQL Server Feature Pack.

Once installed, you can run the following command to backup a database called DbfApp_StaffWiki. The exact database name will depend on how your system is configured:

sqlcmd -S (local)\SQLEXPRESS -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE [DbfApp_StaffWiki] TO DISK= N'C:\temp\swdb.bak' WITH FORMAT"

The -S argument specifies the name of the server. In this case we are backing up the local (same machine) server's SQLEXPRESS instance. If your server location and instance name differ, change this parameter.

This will backup the database to the c:\temp\swdb.bak file. You can modify that to suit your own configuration.

You can automate this by putting these commands into a batch file (.bat), and then setting up a scheduled task to run that batch file each night. 

Backing up the File System

All wiki attachments, including images, videos and PDFs, are stored in the file system. First locate the installation folder for Staff.Wiki. This may be something like c:\program files (x86)\StaffWiki. The Files/DocLibrary folder will contain the attachments, however you should backup everything in the installation folder - that way you can easily restore the system to get back up and running.

System Updates

Whenever an update to the system is applied, upgrading the version, the system will automatically make changes to the database structure to reflect that particular version. This works in the opposite direction also: when you downgrade to an older version it will remove any new features changed in the database.

This can be useful when restoring data, especially if you need to restore an older version of the installation folder. Upon starting it will automatically change the database structure so that it is able to start up and be used.

Cloud Backup

The cloud service (standard or hosted Enterprise) is backed up automatically. The exact schedule may vary depending on your account, but in general we retain 30 days of image backups that are taken each day, and then 1 backup per month for the preceding 6 months. We can provide a copy of your data upon request.