The Blytheco Sage MAS 500 eNews for December 2007

Winter Promotions MAS 500 customers can take advantage of the following discounts through March 31.

Save $3,000 off SLP when you buy the Warehouse Automation Bundle. Plus, get an additional $1,000 off when you add five more Handheld user licenses to your order.
Save 20% when you purchase three or more Sage MAS 500 PSG Product Extensions for Accounting, Distribution, or Manufacturing.

Protecting Your Data

Today’s businesses depend on technology. Most companies would find it very difficult to operate without their servers, workstations, laptop computers, peripherals, and most importantly, the data stored within that technology. With something this valuable, it makes sense to invest in security. Your technology is vulnerable to a number of dangers, from natural disasters to power interruptions to simply wearing out. Below are a few simple tips on keeping your technology and your data safe.

Protect Your Power

Power spikes or disruptions cause more data loss than all other natural disasters combined. Every piece of crucial electronic equipment should be connected to an UPS (uninterrupted power supply) device. It’s even a good idea to place a small UPS device on each workstation, since power interruption during a transaction update, for example, could result in corrupted data.

UPS devices provide continuous, conditioned power capable of evening out surges and supplying varying amounts of auxiliary power to allow you to safely shut your equipment down in the event of a full outage. Once your equipment is shut down, it’s not a bad idea to completely unplug equipment to keep it entirely off the grid until even power is restored.

Back It Up!

The importance of a reliable and efficient backup system cannot be overstated. Today’s backup software is robust and sophisticated. Carefully choose a solution with powerful features provided by a company you trust. The investment in a modern backup solution including tapes, drives, and software is significant. However, the return on investment is immediate and undeniable should disaster strike. See “Backing Up Data in MAS 500” below for more detail.

Tape backup systems are still the dominant backup method used by savvy small and mid-sized organizations. Symantec, a leading publisher of backup systems, notes that tape remains the best solution for long-term and offsite storage. Symantec cites its portability and ruggedness as factors making tape the most efficient way to protect a business from disaster or for long-term storage.

Disk-based backup systems are gaining in popularity. A disk-based backup solution typically writes the same data to a file on a disk volume as it would write to a tape drive. When used conscientiously, disk drives can provide faster, more flexible backups and restores than tape.

During your daily operations, it’s always a good idea to periodically save important files you’re working on to a separate hard drive, portable storage drive, or CD.

Whatever backup system you select, you must periodically do a test of your restore capabilities. Don’t assume it will work at that crucial time.

Shadow Backup Can Save The Day
Inherent in many Windows operating systems is a useful protective tool called “Shadow Backup.” This feature uses available space on your server to make copies of directories and files on a timetable you specify. Should you accidentally delete or overwrite a valuable file, you can simply scan through the earlier saved versions of the file and restore the one from before your accident.

Offsite Storage A Must
It is imperative that backed-up data be moved offsite regularly to ensure that all of your backups will not be destroyed if something happens to your facility. Several companies provide offsite storage services that include picking up and delivering tapes when they are to be rotated. At a minimum, have a trusted employee take a backup tape home with them each night.

Disaster Recovery Planning
Accidents happen. So do power outages, natural disasters, and malicious attacks. Systems wear out and have to be replaced. Prepare a comprehensive disaster recovery plan specific to your organization. A person or group should be charged with constantly supervising your organization’s disaster preparation efforts. Someone should install and maintain hardware protection devices, make sure all departments have a plan if the server goes down temporarily, and confirm that backups are made and rotated offsite regularly. Also, it is a good idea to document your plan for reference purposes.

Backing Up Data in MAS 500

How many times have you heard about a company whose computer crashed and they lost all their data? When you heard it, did you think:

That will never happen to our company.
Someone else is making sure our data is safe.
We have backup software, so there's nothing to worry about.

We aren’t trying to be pessimistic, but if you're thinking along these lines, you're likely to regret it. Computers can sometimes be unpredictable, and just like the vehicle you drive to work, they need regular maintenance to keep running. PLEASE be proactive about backing up your data and ensuring that you can RETRIEVE that data once it has been backed up. Talk with your internal or external IT support to make sure all of your critical data files are getting backed up, that backup media are kept off-site, and that the backups are regularly tested to ensure the data that is being backed up can be restored.

Also note that even though programs can be reinstalled from their original CDs, those shiny silver platters have a way of getting lost when you need them most. In addition, you may have downloaded the installation files for enhancements or third-party applications for which you have no CD to rely upon. The safe bet is to make sure you regularly back up not only your data files, but your program files as well. And don't forget about those custom forms and reports that have been developed for your MAS system!

So now the $64 Million question is: "How do I know where my MAS 500 Files are stored?"

Where are MAS 500 data files stored?

MAS 500 uses the Microsoft SQL database engine to store all of its data. In order to safeguard your company's MAS 500 data, you should perform a SQL backup of your
MAS 500 database(s) at least nightly. Standard database names used by MAS 500 include:

mas500_app for application data
mas500_iapp for internet applications data (only required if you own eCustomer or eSalesForce)
mas500_pl for Project Link functionality (only required if you integrate MAS 500 Project Accounting with Microsoft Project)
mas500_sys for system data (only applies to versions 6.30 and lower)
mas500_pt: required for Sage eTimeSheet Link (only applies to versions 6.30 and lower)

Note that your company's MAS 500 database names may not match the standard naming convention listed above. Please contact a Blytheco MAS 500 consultant to verify the database names in use by your company.

Where are MAS 500 custom forms and reports files stored?

By default, all forms and reports are stored on each local computer where the MAS 500 client is installed in the following locations:

for version 6.30 and lower, in C:\Program Files\MAS 500 Client\XX\Reports (where XX represents the two-character code for each module -- AP for Accounts Payable, GL for General Ledger, etc.).
for version 7.xx, in C:\Program Files\Sage Software\Sage MAS 500 Client\XX\Reports (where XX represents the two-character code for each module -- AP for Accounts Payable, GL for General Ledger, etc.).

Note that in many instances, a shared network folder may have been created to simplify management and deployment of custom forms and reports. Please contact a Blytheco MAS 500 consultant to verify the location of forms and reports for your company.