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How to Back Up and Restore Act! Database

General Guidelines:

• It is recommended that you send the backup (.ZIP) file directly to your local hard drive.
• If desired, backing up your Act! database to a network drive requires that your Windows® user profile has adequate permissions to read and write to the network path destination. Please refer to your Windows documentation or Network Administrator for assistance.
• When saving a backup over a network, a best practice is to use the UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path instead of the mapped drive location. Typically, mapped drives start with a similar formatting as a hard drive such as h:. The UNC formatting is machinenamefoldername. Example: Server1My ACT Databases
• The Act! backup (.ZIP) file cannot be sent directly to a CD or tape backup system through the Act! backup process. If you need to create your backup on CD or use a tape backup system, refer to the section below for creating a backup to these devices.
• If you have any difficulty directing the backup (.ZIP) file to a location other than your local hard drive, you can use a Windows file manager utility such as Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy the backup file from your local hard drive, and then paste this file to a network location or removable media.
• To backup your database automatically at specified intervals, you can use the Act! Scheduler.
• Note: The Act! Scheduler is only available in the Premium versions of Act! by Sage 2006, Act! by Sage 2007 and Act! by Sage 2008. The Act! Scheduler is available in both the Standard and Premium versions of Act! by Sage 2009 and later.

What files are included in an Act! backup?

• Database
• Attached Documents
• Layouts
• Document Templates
• Report Templates
• Saved Queries

Special Note for Act! by Sage 2009 (11.0) and later users: Act! 2009 and later now has the option to reduce the size of backup files by excluding attachments from Act! database backups, allow backups to complete more quickly, particularly if you have a large number of attached documents. This option can be done by un-checking the Include Attachments box on the Back Up Database dialog box.

Special Note for Sage ACT! 2011: On the Preferences screen a new Admin tab has been added. On this tab are options to enable/disable file and e-mail attachments to the database. If these options are disabled, there will be no attachments to include in the backup. They are Enabled by default and the options are only available to an Administrator of the database.

Personal Files may also be backed up. The ability to back up Personal Files is not limited to only Administrator and Manager level users. Standard, Restricted and Browse level users all have access to this function.

Personal Files include:

• Documents that you have saved
• Internet links
• Spell check Dictionaries
• Menus and Toolbars

Important Note Regarding Remote Databases:
The database backup function is only available to Administrator and Manager level database users. However, with a remote database, a Standard level user can backup their remote if they have Remote Administration as an added permission in their user profile.

Database Backup

Note: If you are creating a backup of a shared database, you no longer need to log out all users while the backup is created.

Follow the steps below to create a backup of your database.

1. Click the File menu, point to Backup, and then click Database. The Back Up Database dialog box appears:
   
2. Verify the location for the backup (.ZIP) file. In most cases, this backup file may go to a removable drive (such as a zip drive), to a network drive or to your local hard drive.
3. For added security, you may password protect your backup file by enabling the Password protect file option.Note: Once you have set a password for this backup file, the file can not be restored and there will be no way to retrieve the data without the password.
4. Click OK to start the backup. A Back Up progress indicator appears as the database backup is created:
   
5. When finished the following Backup messages appears.
   
6. Click Ok to return to Act!.

Creating a Backup on CD

Note: If you are creating a backup of a shared database, you no longer need to log out all users while the backup is created.

You will not be able to send the Act! backup (.ZIP) file directly to a CD or use an automated backup system to work through the Act! program to back up the Act! database. You will need to create the backup file separately, and then use your CD burning software to store the backup file on the CD or direct your automated backup system to your backup (.ZIP) file.

1. Click the File menu, point to Backup, and then click Database. The Back Up Database dialog box appears.
2. Click the Browse button. A Save As dialog appears:
   
3. Click the Desktop button or change the Save In field to an alternate location on your hard drive for this backup. (the Windows Desktop is suggested), enter a new File name (if desired) and then click Save. The Backup Database dialog box re-appears.Hint: Including the date in the File Name will help organize your backup files and prevent overwriting of your previous backup.
4. At this point, you have the option to set a password for your backup. A password is not required. A password ensures that only an administrative user of that database who knows the password will be able to restore the backup.Note: Once you have set a password for this backup file, the file can not be restored and there will be no way to retrieve the data without the password.
5. Click OK to start the backup. A progress indicator appears as your database is backed up.
6. Use your CD Burning software, provided with your CD Recorder, to safely store the file on CD, or use your automated backup system to back the file up to tape. If you need assistance with these products, please contact the software vendor. Sage does not provide support for these products.

Restoring a Database

It is recommended that you restore the backup (.ZIP) file directly from your local hard drive, a network drive or from a removable drive such as a Zip drive through the Act! restore process. If you have any difficulty restoring the backup (.ZIP) file from a location other than your local hard drive, you can use a Windows File Manager utility such as Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy the backup file from the network or removable medium, and then paste this file onto your local hard drive for restoration.

Use the following steps to restore an Act! database:

1. Click the File menu, point to Restore, and then click Database. The current database closes as the Restore Database dialog box appears:
   
2. In the Select type section, enable one of the following options:

Restore:

This option is normally used when you do not need to change the name or location of the database or unpack and restore a remote database,

1. Enable the Restore option, and then click OK. The following Act! dialog box appears
2. Click the Browse button. An Open dialog box appears. Browse to (if necessary) and Open the backup (*.zip) file, and then click OK. The following Act! dialog box appears:
3. Enter your User name and (if necessary) Password, and then click OK. The following Act! warning appears.

   Important Note: Files which were included in the backup and modified later will be overwritten. Click No, restart the process, and enable the Restore As option (described below) if you do not wish to overwrite files.

4. Click Yes to continue restoring the database. A Restore Database progress indicator appears as the database files are restored
5. When the Restoration is successful, the following Act! dialog box appears:
6. Click OK to complete the process.
7. To open this database, click the File menu, and then click Open Database, or click the Open Databasebutton. An Open dialog box appears.
8. Navigate to (if necessary) and Open the database (.pad) file.

Restore As:

1. Enable the Restore As option if you need to change the name or location (to avoid overwriting an existing database with the same name as the backup file) or if you are restoring the backup on a different machine than the one the backup was created on. Click OK. The following Act! dialog box appears
2. Click the Browse button. An Open dialog box appears. Browse to (if necessary) and then Open the backup (*.zip) file, and then click OK. After selecting thedatabase file to restore, the following Act! dialog box appears:
3. Type in a unique name for the restored database in the New database name (no spaces or punctuation) field, and then click the Browse button at the To location:field. A Browse for folder dialog box appears
4. Navigate to (if necessary), click the folder that you would like to restore the database to, (or create a New Folder) and then click OK.
5. Type in your User name, and (if necessary) Password for this database, enable the Share this database with other users option here (if necessary), and then click OK. The following progress indicator appears as the database is restored:
6. When the Restoration is successful, the following Act! message appears:
7. Click OK to complete the process.
8. To open this database, click the File menu, and then click Open Database, or click the Open Database button. An Open dialog box appears.
9. Navigate to (if necessary) and Open the database (.pad) file.

Unpack and Restore Remote Database:

Enable the Unpack and Restore Remote Database option if you would like to unpack and restore a remote database package to a remote user’s computer (for the purpose of synchronization), and then click OK. The Restore an Act! remote Database dialog box appears

Browse to and open the (.rdb file) remote database in the Select the remote database file to restore field, and then (if necessary) browse to the directory that you wish to restore the database to, for the Database Location field. You may enable the Share this database with other users option here, if necessary.

Click OK. A Restore Database progress indicator appears as your remote database is restored:

The following Act! dialog box appears when the restoration has successfully completed:

Click OK to complete the process.

To open this database, click the File menu, and then click Open Database, or click the Open Database button. An Open dialog box appears.

Navigate to (if necessary) and Open the database (.pad) file.

Manage Activities and History – ACT! Tips

Here are some quick tips for using activities, history, and follow-up properly in ACT!  to ensure you don’t miss a beat when managing your tasks and taking care of your customers.

Activities

Activities are items that you schedule in advance that show up in a few places: on your Task List, your calendar, and on the record for the contact that you’ve scheduled an activity with.  To schedule an activity, first look up the contact that you want to schedule with, then choose the “Schedule” menu and choose the type of activity that you want to schedule or use the toolbar icons.

Pretty straight forward, right?  If you’re an ACT! user you’re likely already using activities.  But – are you clearing your activities and creating history records?

History

History items are the details of e-mails sent, meetings held, calls completed and other interactions between you and your staff and your contacts.

To create a history record when you’ve completed an activity, simply right-click the activity and choose “Clear Activity…” and you’ll get a window that allows you to fill in the results of the activity.  It’s important that you fill in the details so that later, when you or other ACT! users need a reminder, the information is there.

If you want to record history, but didn’t schedule an activity first – for example: the phone rings and a customer calls, you skip the activity creation and just record a history.  You’ll find this option on the Contact menu as well as on the History tab in the contact detail view.  Again, make sure you fill out the details otherwise this information would not be useful.

Follow-up

More often than not, when you’ve finished one thing and are clearing the activity, you’ll want to schedule the next thing to be done.  E.g. you clear a meeting but now need to schedule a call to follow up.  The “Follow-up” button will help you do this and saves time by pre-filling the contact and regarding line for you from the previous activity.

Create a Map of Your Contacts using ACT!

Ever want to get a map of your Contacts? well if the curiosity ever struck here’s a handy tool to help you get it done!

1. Create the lookup of contacts that you want to plot on the map
2. What you need to do next it to get a list of Contacts into Excel with the following fields: Address, City, State (or Province), ZIP Code (or Postal Code), and Company.
   1. From the Contact List View, click “Options” in the upper right corner and choose “Customize Columns”
   2. Choose just the fields listed above to be included in your list
   3. Click OK to go back to the Contact List View
3. Click the “Export Current List to Excel” button to get your Contact List in Excel
4. Highlight the whole works, all the rows and the headings and everything and press Ctrl+C to copy them, or right-click and choose Copy
5. Go to www.batchgeo.com and click inside of the “Source Data” window and then press Ctrl+V or right-click and choose Paste
6. Click Map Now (or click Validate & Options for some tweaks) and BatchGeo will crank through your list and display a map for you.

If you’re going to use this on a regular basis, or simply have fallen in love with the concept consider a donation as that’s how Phillip supports and runs the site.

Get your ACT! Task List Into Excel

Sometimes when I have a ton of things to get done, I don’t track all my activities in ACT!, I need a bit more of a unpolished system to sort stuff out.

Why? Well, I have a strategy for getting things done – I like to sort things by both importance and the “fun factor”. I don’t always work that way, but when I’ve got a lot to do, this helps me to:

• Make sure the important stuff gets done
• Get the things done first that take more effort and energy, and leave the things I enjoy to be done afterwards, when I might not otherwise have as much energy and enthusiasm

How do you sort by “Fun” you ask? Well, the answer is that you can’t do it within ACT! – but it’s an easy thing to do in Excel by adding an extra column. I won’t get into the details of how to do it, but if you know Excel you can figure it out quickly. Now to get to the point of this post – how to export your task list to Excel. As long as you have a compatible version of Microsoft Excel installed (2002 and later are supported with most recent ACT! versions), you can export your Task List in a single click!

To do it, just look for the “Export Current List to Excel” button which is on the toolbar. In ACT! 2010 it’s right above the dropdown box for the Date filter. In any version of ACT! it looks like a little box with a green X in the middle. Presto! Excel opens with your Task List, almost exactly as it was showing in ACT! when you clicked the button.

You might notice a few things from this:

• Once the data is in Excel, you can sort and manipulate most of the data, or even do calculations.
• The columns show up in the same order as they were in your Task List – so if you add, remove, or change the positions of columns in ACT!, you’ll get the same positioning in your Excel export.
• The filters can be used to change what activities show up. Want a quick way to get a printable report of all the meetings you have scheduled for the rest of the month? Just change the date filter to “Current Month” and the Types to “Meeting” and click the Export button!

So there you have it – Exporting the Task List to Excel. Now that you’ve done that, check out the same feature on the Contact List and Opportunities List.