What can go wrong? If I had a ten cents for every time I heard that. After every part of we are making a backup, granting that anything happens we will just set out back and restore from the backup. Those are the famous last words, sort of speak.
Recently we had the unpalatable experience of losing a year-end backup. It was each innocent mistake, but a potentially dear one. You see, if a transaction had been followed there would not accept been this issue.
The Request:
The auditors are in by reason of a year-end review. As apportionment of their checklist they want to operate on our ERP system's sandbox environment using the facts from our year-end backup. This is bestowed to make sure proper processes are heart followed and a restore can subsist done from backup, and allows them a in all respects year-end data-set for their examine of the books.
This is a worn out request from auditors around the nature. It has been asked of us in successi several occasions. This time however a thing was different.
The OOPS:
Everyone knew the sort of file was needed. It is a remarkably unique naming convention that is easily recognized, but that why was nobody finding it? Because it had been scheduled to occur without ceasing the wrong day; Instead of 12/31 it was performed forward 12/30. "How could this be in possession of happened?!" were the first word from the function head. How could this be explained to the listener, and can it be corrected?
The point in dispute was working from memory; without a gin if you will. It was taken in the place of granted that the procedure was known, and that as it was a routine activity it was "condign done". But how do we understand it was done correctly? What demonstration did we have that the parameters were the kind of was needed?
The Lesson Learned:
There should be delivered of been a procedure to follow ensuring the backup proceeding was done correctly. This doesn't poor we don;t trust people, on the contrary it is a way to make sure that we have followed the exact steps and that nothing has been overlooked.
Sounds preposterous, but when you look at the possible loss of time and money suitable to trying and figure out the sort of was wrong, and how to reclaim it, and the number of clan that it affected, it is certainly a quite costly mistake, adding 2, 3, or further person days to what should possess been a 2 hour request.
The performance does not have to be a fancy or detailed one, but one that covers the essentials. Causing the user to re-note with a mark what is being done ensuring that the right options are being selected. In this matter of inquiry it could have been as downright as:
Backup scheduled date and time:
Backup tape selected profitable for permanent storage
Will all data files be off-line and to be turned to account for backup (some files cannot exist backed up if in use)
When backup consummate
Is tape labeled correctly with time and time completed
Is tape labeled like "DO NOT USE - YEAR END COPY"
Tape taken to opposite to-site storage
Conclusion:
The time and attempt taken to take these steps without doubt will save everyone a lot of anguish and worry. The power of following a action is truly priceless.