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Writer's pictureEH Lim

How does the auto backup work in MoneyWorks accounting software?


MoneyWorks Datacentre does auto backup the company file (data file).

The backup and archive path are both set in the MoneyWorks Datacentre Console. The backup and archive path, by default, are set to point to local drive. You need to set the MoneyWorks Datacentre as a user who has the privileges to access the networks drive if you prefer to backup over the network.

If checked, documents will get automatically backed up on any day that they are used (on first save or when they close*). If a new period has been opened, then the backup goes into the Archives folder and is dated so that it will not get overwritten. Otherwise backups go into the backups folder and are stamped with the day of week (1-7). Week-old backups will therefore get overwritten.

-- MoneyWorks Administrator Guide, page 8.

How does the automatic backup work?

Assuming you are the only user accessing the company file on Tuesday morning, you disconnected during lunch time. When a user has disconnected from the company file, Moneyworks saved the session and a backup file is created.

Sample of a backup file:

Acme Widgets Gold.mwd7.2.mwgz

The "2" in the above backup file name is representing Tuesday. So, Wednesday's backup file name will be "Acme Widgets Gold.mwd7.3.mwgz".

After your lunch, you connected to the company file again and disconnected after work. Since this is the second backup of the day, MoneyWorks overwritten the earlier file.

There will be a daily backup, from Monday to Sunday, once you saved or disconnected from the company file. The weekly backup cycle will continue, the old backup file will get overwritten on the following week. MoneyWorks will not create a backup file if there are users connected to the company file. As an administrator, you have to ensure all users have disconnected at day end.

Whenever a new period created in MoneyWorks, usually after the month end process, it creates an archive file and store it in the Archive folder. If you have created the period on a monthly basis, the archive file serves as a monthly backup.

Sample of an archive file:

Backup of Acme Widgets Gold.mwd7 [160521].mwgz

The monthly archive file will not get overwritten since the archive file includes a backup date. However, only one archive file will be stored if a user has opened up new periods in advance. For example, if a user opens up period March to September on 1 March, then only the final archive file, which has the period September stored in the archive folder. Those earlier archive files, which from the period March, have the same file name as the archive file with period September; hence, being overwritten.

As an accountant, other than the automatic backup done by the MoneyWorks Datacentre, you can do a manual backup with the "Save a backup as" feature from the File menu of the MoneyWorks Gold. The accountant or MoneyWorks administrator should consider monthly manual backup if you have open the period in advance.

We suggest you should do a manual backup before you posted the transactions, bank reconciliation, start a stocktake, or finalised the GST. Although a rollback does help, backup is a better choice.

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