Backing up eFileCabinet data is essential in assuring that your company's data is secure following any sort of computer failure or other disasters. There are three different backup types that should be considered when determining the best method to backup data.

Onsite
Onsite backups entail the utilization of a backup program that backs up to a drive that is always externally connected to the server machine (ideally, these generally take a backup every night).

Offsite
Offsite backups entail the utilization of a physical hard drive that is kept off-premise in case of fire or some other disaster localized to the working office (ideally, this is likely done on a weekly/bi-weekly basis, depending on needs).

Online
Online backups entail the backup that is fully online and out of a region (in case an entire region is affected by a disaster).

While we offer CloudView Backup for our desktop users, it is only meant to play a small part in a healthy backup plan. Redundancy of data is essential in the best protection of your company's data.

Once you have chosen the appropriate backup method for your company's needs, follow the steps in this article to determine which directories should be backed up: 

How do I back up my eFileCabinet data?

1. Go into the SQL server directly using Microsoft SQL Management Studio and right click on the eFileCabinet Database > select "Tasks" > Select "Backup" 

**Leave the default settings and it should backup to C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup\

2. Ensure no one is logged into eFileCabinet, then turn off the server service by right clicking on the eFileCabinet server tray icon. Alternatively, you can go to Services to stop the service (search services.msc in your start-search, or open your task managers > go to Services, and select "Services...")

3. Make a copy of the *.edb files (found at C:\ProgramData\eFileCabinet\5) Once you've made the copy, paste it on an external hard drive to back it up.

4. Make a copy of the physical files, also called *.efc files. These are typically located in the "5" folder from step 2. You will need to locate your data and make a copy of your entire data directory. You can determine this data directory by right clicking on each cabinet in eFileCabinet and selecting "Edit Cabinet." The root file cabinet path that displays in that menu will show you where the data is.