Tracking Legal Technology

A Timeslips® database contains data related to a user’s time, client-related expenses, bills, accounts receivable and funds transactions.  It contains custom bill designs (layouts) and both standard and custom reports.  When the Backup command is used from within the program, all of this data is compressed and saved within a single, backup file.

To Manually Backup the Database –

1. From the File menu, select Backup… 

Backing up Timeslips

 The Back Up Current Database dialog box appears.  Click on the Yes button to begin the process. 

1. This window shows the path of the database to be backed up
2. It also shows when the last backup was made and where it was stored (Hint: If you need to know this information, this is a good place to find it.)
3. The user has the option to include any subfolders in the backup

 A browser window will appear.  Select where you want the backup file to be located and name the file.

Tip:  Give your backup a unique name.  You may include the date of the backup in the name, or give it the name of the day of the week on which the backup was performed

It is also a good idea to back up your file on a network drive (which will have its own backup made) or on a portable drive that is away from the network

Timeslips also has the ability to make Scheduled Backups so that users don’t have to do it themselves.  In order to set up this feature –

1. From the File menu, select Schedule Backups…
2. The Schedule Backups dialog box appears.  To set up a schedule of automatic backups, click on the gold “plus” symbol on the toolbar.
3. This opens up the Schedule Backups Wizard.  On the first screen, select the frequency for automated backups: Daily, Weekly or Once, for a one-time backup on a specific day and time.  Click Next after you make your selection
4. On the next screen, select the time of day and frequency.  Click Next after you make your selection
5. Select a file name for your backup and a path for its location.  Most users choose the option to include the backup date in the file name.  Click Next after you make your selection
6. The wizard will take you to the final screen which confirms your rule for scheduled backups has been established, and shows your selections.  Click Finish to save your settings and return to the Scheduled Backups dialog box

So now something’s happened, and you need that backup!  The opposite of “backup” is “restore” and that feature is also available in Timeslips.  To restore a backup –

1. From the File menu, select Restore…

Restoring a Timeslips Backup File

 The Restore a Backup dialog box appears

1. The file path of the last known backup made from within Timeslips is displayed.  If you don’t want that backup, use the Browse button to select the backup file you want
2. Choose the database that will receive the backup.  Your current database is the default value, but you can also decide to choose another database location
3. IMPORTANT:  By default, Timeslips will enable a feature that makes an emergency backup of your database before restoring your data.  The emergency backup will be automatically named ORIGINAL.BKU.  Be sure those checkboxes are marked.

 Click on the OK button to begin the restore process

 Question:  What happens if your data is so damaged that you can’t even open Timeslips and get in the program to restore a database?

Answer:  Timeslips backup files are actually zip files!  Find a backup and copy and paste it to another location.  Rename the copy so that it ends in .ZIP.  You may then use an extraction application to unzip the file and copy the data tables back to your database location.

 Be sure to call Andrea Prigot (New York), Dana Riel (Washington, D.C.) or Jack Schaller (Pennsylvania) if you need more information or assistance.  We can be reached at 1-877-ELS-0555, or through our web site at http://www.easternlegalsystems.com

 This document is also posted as a PDF file on the “HowTo” pageof our website, easily accessible from the home page. Look for the link under the Time Billing and Accounting header, Timeslips, and click on the “more” button.

It must be sunspots – at least that’s my opinion – but this week alone I received four panicked phone calls from clients.  One firm experienced a catastrophic server failure, which reduced their time & billing program to shreds.  Another firm said during the last storm, lightning struck the transformer down the street.  Someone experienced issues with their printer, was unaware of that fact, and processed data to a stage where the detail was lost.  And a new paralegal at the fourth site wondered what would happen if she ran a certain command…

 In each case, I asked the caller to locate the latest backup they made from their program.  And the answer was the same: (1) They relied on their I.T. consultants to do that for them.  (2) They didn’t want to call them “because that would be expensive”. 

 Hiring someone to design a solution you don’t want to use when needed is not a good solution.  Every organization should have a means to preserve data, particularly in catastrophic situations.  But what about those times when you’re not sure about what a program feature will do, or you need data for one specific program and your I.T. consultant (or whomever knows how to use your backup solution) is not on hand?

 Every program we support at Eastern Legal Systems has its own backup feature.  In many cases, the backup command is located under the “File” drop-down menu.  With more complex applications that use a SQL database, there is a utility that can backup that data that is fairly straightforward to use.  These commands and applications capture all your data, custom features, reports, etc.  When we train our clients, we strongly recommend they make frequent backups of their program data, particularly when they want to know “what that button does”, and we show them how to make reliable backups.

 The opposite of “backup” is “restore”, and it is important to know how to use that command, too.  We can show you how. 

 This is the first of a series of articles on backing up and restoring data in the applications supported by Eastern Legal Systems.  We hope you’ll stay tuned and save the articles you need.  Put them in a safe place.  And be sure there are backups, “just in case”.