News and backup

This article is about the "News and Backup" process collectors use to back up data from their laptop.

Backing up

To back up, double-click on the "News and Backup" shortcut on your desktop.

When to run

• Run while connected to the network at at the following times (required - this goes to Regional Server):
  • at every shift start before data entry (to ensure you have the newest version of the program)
  • at every shift end (to ensure your data is backed up to the server)
  • before deleting any files after sending
• when disconnected from the network you can run it as often as you want; this creates additional intermediate backups only on your SD card however this does not preclude the above required backups to Regional Server.

Importance of backup to REGIONAL SERVER

The Main office has the opportunity to get data from these backups if there is a problem.

• Example of this is June 7.13 when new program was rolled out, postal code and color for overstay in TMP was being sent to TMPV2.mdb as "chinese type" letters. Main office was able to retrieve from regional server for site that backed up their data.Trish Ostryzniuk 17:00, 2013 June 10 (EDT)
• another example of this: Nov.13 - discovered that ICU Pharmacy items YES NO not going into pharmacy.mdb or centralized.mdb from first week of June to Aug 13.13. Because of backups to Regional Server, the Main office had the opportunity to pull together copies of these backups and retrieve the "lost pharm data". This has saved the data collector from having to recollect pharmacy data from the chart.Trish Ostryzniuk 15:49, 2013 December 3 (CST)

Process

For the most up-to-date workings of this file see the file itself and the change logs at Batstart.bat#Log and Backup.bat#Log

The "News and Backup" batch file is a batch file on each laptop which does the following:

• batstart.bat
  • sets the location of the laptop
  • checks if there is a newer version of backup.bat; if so, it downloads it
  • calls backup.bat
• backup.bat
• back up to server w 20 versions of CCMDB_data.mdb to the SD card
• back up to server w 20 versions of CCMDB_data.mdb to the regional server
• check if there is a file Regional Server\Programs\<hosp>_<ward>\ccmdb.mdb; if so,
  • move the file from the regional server to c:\ccmdb_program
  • open the wiki to Log to show what has changed

Setting up the file on a laptop

If the laptop is set up according to Laptop Setup then the batch files and shortcuts will be copied down as part of the process. The only thing to do locally would be to edit parameters for location.

Edit parameters for location

1. right-click the news-and-backup shortcut and click "edit"
   • Don't double-click because that would run the file
2. go to the line that starts with "set ml=", should be around line 9
3. change the part after the = to your directory on the regional server, e.g. HSC_H4
   • don't add spaces
   • make sure it's the directory used for the location, for legacy reasons this might not be the main ward now collected on
4. menu file save, menu file close

if the shortcut is missing...

see Desktop install.bat

Testing News and Backup

After initial setup test that the backup works:

• make some change in ccmdb.mdb to update date stamp of file on the client laptop
• execute the News and Backup batch file to perform the process
• check that ccmdb.mdb file with new stamp is on sd card
• check that ccmdb.mdb file with new stamp is on Regional Server/data/<hsp>_<ward>

Information about the batch files

A two-file system is used to allow batstart.bat to actually look for a new backup.bat before each run, allowing a central update of that file if necessary. This allows for centralized updating/tweaking/etc of the laptops.

Batstart.bat uses Robocopy, sort of an improved version of xcopy, which is available from Microsoft as part of one of their Server SDKs.

Updating the file

BatStart.bat looks on an update to backup.bat in regional server\programs\<location>; that file will replace the local one.

Make sure Batstart.bat#Log/Backup.bat#Log is updated with any changes.

Error checking

Just do your backups and assume they work, there is no need for collectors to routinely check that the backups to the regional server are working. Data Processor in Main office checks regularly that backups are being done, so if backups are not making it to the regional server we will let you know.

Main office uses Backup_Checker.vbs to make sure the backups are working.