Database Utility Backup Failing Entourage 2004

C

Caffeine

Greetings,

I have the latest version of Entourage 2004; I have used the Database
Utility to successfully compact and backup many times in the past.
Recently, when I use the tool, the system appears to work and I receive
a notification of successful compact and backup of my identity. When I
go to home\Documents\Microsoft User Data\Office 2004
Identities\Identity[Backed up"Date"], the only thing in the backed up
identity folder is "Rules"...16KB.

Now I have a rather sizeable DB of mail and such (on the order of 2 GB
(uncompressed?). Not sure if the DB Utility has a size limit it can
handle.

Thoughts/ideas on how to get the DB Utility working again?

I suppose I can just copy the existing DB (uncompressed?) to my backup
drive...or I suppose I could even try compressing it with gzip or
something like that to save spac...though at possible risk for later
restoration perhaps.

Thanks!
 
B

Barry Wainwright [MVP]

Greetings,

I have the latest version of Entourage 2004; I have used the Database
Utility to successfully compact and backup many times in the past.
Recently, when I use the tool, the system appears to work and I receive
a notification of successful compact and backup of my identity. When I
go to home\Documents\Microsoft User Data\Office 2004
Identities\Identity[Backed up"Date"], the only thing in the backed up
identity folder is "Rules"...16KB.

Now I have a rather sizeable DB of mail and such (on the order of 2 GB
(uncompressed?). Not sure if the DB Utility has a size limit it can
handle.

Thoughts/ideas on how to get the DB Utility working again?

I suppose I can just copy the existing DB (uncompressed?) to my backup
drive...or I suppose I could even try compressing it with gzip or
something like that to save spac...though at possible risk for later
restoration perhaps.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

In your main identity, is their an 'old database' file appearing?

If so, the same thing happens to me, and I have never been able to find out
why. I supsect that something in the rebuild routine is bugging out at the
end when the files are transferred to the new backup folder.

The old database file is fully complete and acts as the right backup, but
for some reason doesn't end up in the right place.

I have reported this to MS before, but without a resolution at this time.
 
M

Mark Aalyson

Well, this confuses me. I was searching the threads to find some advice on
backing up. The MVP website seems to suggest (to me, at least) that the way
to backup a database (whether identity or mailbox, etc.) is to duplicate it.
The site specifically says " Rebuilding should not be considered as a
substitute for an adequate backup." See
http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/rebuild.html

In my case, I'm not getting a file named "old database" anywhere in any
directory. I get a file that is sequentially named something like
"MyIdentity [backed up 4-19-2006] [backed up 5-19-2006]." The next run of
the utility would produce the same with another appendage. I'm not sure
which is the good copy. I guess it's the smaller-sized (i.e., compacted) one
with the original date? And the others are merely the scratch copies being
produced during the backup process?

My take on all this was that one should run the utility to compact the
database, then backup the product i.e., the compacted database, by
duplicating it elsewhere, and ultimately discarding the larger file left
over from the compacting process after first ascertaining that the compacted
file is sound.

Is this incorrect?

Greetings,

I have the latest version of Entourage 2004; I have used the Database
Utility to successfully compact and backup many times in the past.
Recently, when I use the tool, the system appears to work and I receive
a notification of successful compact and backup of my identity. When I
go to home\Documents\Microsoft User Data\Office 2004
Identities\Identity[Backed up"Date"], the only thing in the backed up
identity folder is "Rules"...16KB.

Now I have a rather sizeable DB of mail and such (on the order of 2 GB
(uncompressed?). Not sure if the DB Utility has a size limit it can
handle.

Thoughts/ideas on how to get the DB Utility working again?

I suppose I can just copy the existing DB (uncompressed?) to my backup
drive...or I suppose I could even try compressing it with gzip or
something like that to save spac...though at possible risk for later
restoration perhaps.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

In your main identity, is their an 'old database' file appearing?

If so, the same thing happens to me, and I have never been able to find out
why. I supsect that something in the rebuild routine is bugging out at the
end when the files are transferred to the new backup folder.

The old database file is fully complete and acts as the right backup, but
for some reason doesn't end up in the right place.

I have reported this to MS before, but without a resolution at this time.
Click to expand...
 
M

Mark Aalyson

I get a file that is sequentially named something like
"MyIdentity [backed up 4-19-2006] [backed up 5-19-2006]."
Click to expand...

I should have written that I get a FOLDER so named. The folder contains
files for the database, lists, rules and signatures, but there is no "old
database" anywhere on my computer.

Possibly because I customized the original "Main Identity" folder?
 
P

Paul Berkowitz

I get a file that is sequentially named something like
"MyIdentity [backed up 4-19-2006] [backed up 5-19-2006]."
Click to expand...

I should have written that I get a FOLDER so named. The folder contains
files for the database, lists, rules and signatures, but there is no "old
database" anywhere on my computer.

Possibly because I customized the original "Main Identity" folder?
Click to expand...


In Entourage 2004 there is no "Old Database" file any more. The MVP
Entourage website is out of date (i.e. WRONG).

In Entourage X, that was how it worked: the rebuilder renamed the former
database "Old" when it rebuilt a new copy.

In Entourage 2004, it makes a whole new identity folder (copies the Mailing
Lists, Rules and Signatures files) and renames the former folder containing
the former database with the "[backed up date]" name. (As a bonus, the
Mailing Lists, Rules and Signatures behave better after rebuilding: they are
still associated with their correct items.) So now, after making sure that
your rebuilt database is fine and everything is OK, you can trash the
"[backed up date]" old identity folder, completely, when you decide you
don't need to keep it hanging around "just in case". there is no more "Old
Database" so-called anywhere. The old database is the Database file inside
the [backed up] identity folder. Just delete the whole folder when you want
to.

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.
 
Top