saving a gnucash data file

[Colin Law]

2009/8/14 Mike or Penny Novack <stepbystepfarm at mtdata.com>:
>
>> In addition don't forget that the fact that the data is now stored in
>> a database (if that is how you have set it up) does not mean that that
>> there is no need to generate backups.  If the disk with the mysql (or
>> whatever) database on it dies, you will loose your gnucash data.  Work
>> out where the database is stored on your system and backup that
>> routinely.
>>
>> In the fullness of time a 'backup database' feature might be useful in
>> GC that would generate an sql dump of the db.
>>
>> Colin
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>
> Work out where ALL your user data is (from ALL your applications) and back
> that up on a regular basis.

Most certainly.

> I disagree the the concept of adding "backup database" features to all the
> applications. Kind of silly. Would you expect your word processor to be
> responsible for backing up documents edited by it?

I think there is an argument for a backup database feature.  There is
a distinction between word processor documents and a database on a
server.  A user of a word processor should know where the document is
saved to as he, at some point, saved it there.  A user may not have as
much knowledge about, for example, his mysql server.  The machine may
be multi user with his gnucash database just one of many dbs managed
by the server.  The sysadmin should be managing backups of the whole
system but an individual user might like a backup of just his data as
an extra safeguard.  It will be little consolation for him/her to
complain after a loss that the sysadmin (spouse?) should have been
backing it up more often.

In fact it would not be necessary to generate an sql backup, an xml
version of the data would be fine as this can be opened by gnucash in
the event of a disaster.  One can do this already using File Save As,
then File Open to open the db again.  An option File, Save Backup
which did a save as xml but kept the db as the current file might be a
useful feature.

Colin

>[snip]