This utility is designed for backup and restore of the CentralAdmin, Trial Balance, Knowledge Coach and databases for a single main or secondary office server. This utility will need to run separately on each Office Server in the CCH ProSystem fx Engagement or Workpaper Manager environment.

Note: Any references to Transaction Log Backups are only for Version 2020.1.1 and higher. This feature is not available in older releases.

Additional files to be backed up:

To ensure complete backup, the files in the following folders will need to be backed up separately using current backup methods.

Note: The files stored in these folders are not included in the backup that is generated by the Database Backup & Restore Utility.

• ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Workpapers\
• ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Admin Packages\
• ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Archive\
• ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Transition Binder Packages\
• Where ?:\ is the drive that the program is installed to.

2023 versions and newer:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Workpapers\
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Admin Packages\
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Archive\
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Transition Binder Packages\

Important: It is imperative that the workpaper backup and the SQL database back are completed together and that no changes occur to either during the backup.

 

Running the Backup Utility (with User Interface)

1. If running the backup during office hours, disable synchronization.
   • It is highly recommended that the Admin and Binder synchronization be disabled before beginning the backup process to ensure that the databases and workpapers contain identical information.
     • To disable Admin Sync, log into the Admin Module, right-click on the Office Server in the Central File Room pane and select Properties. Then place a checkmark next to Disable Admin Synchronization.
     • To disable binder synchronization, log into the Admin Module, right-click on the Central File Room listed underneath the Office Server and select Properties. Then place a checkmark next to Disable LFR to CFR Synchronization.
   • During the time of the backup process, synchronization will not be allowed. Users attempting to synchronize during this time will receive an error.
2. Close the Administrator module, if open.
3. Using Microsoft Windows File Explorer, browse to ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Utilities\Backup Restore, double-click on BackupRestoreUtil.exe.
   • Where "?" is the drive where Pfx Engagement or Workpaper Manager is installed to.
4. Click Next on the Welcome dialog.
5. After the information has been read and understood regarding the backup, check the box and click Next.
6. Select Backup.
7. Provide the location where the files are to be stored by clicking Browse.
   • The selected location must be on a local drive/directory or mapped networks drive.
   • If a mapped network drive is selected, the user account under which the Microsoft SQL Server service is running must have credentials to write to that mapped network location.
8. Click Next.
9. Review the backup settings, and click Backup to begin the backup process.
   • A progress indicator page will display to show the progress of the backup.
   • Once complete, a page will display the number of databases that were successfully backed up and the number that failed to be backed up.
10. Click View Log to view a log detailing the backup information for each database.
11. Click Finish to exit the wizard.
12. Log back into the Administrator Module, and re-enable binder Admin and Binder synchronization following the information listed in step one above.
     

Running the Backup Utility with a Differential Backup (with User Interface)

Below are instructions on how to use differential backups.

• What is a CCH ProSystem fx Engagement Differential Backup? .

1. Verify that there has been a recent full backup of the databases.
2. If running the backup during office hours, disable synchronization.
   • It is highly recommended that the Admin and Binder synchronization be disabled before beginning the backup process to ensure that the databases and workpapers contain identical information.
     • To disable Admin Sync, log into the Admin Module, right-click on the Office Server in the Central File Room pane and select Properties. Then place a checkmark next to Disable Admin Synchronization.
     • To disable binder synchronization, log into the Admin Module, right-click on the Central File Room listed underneath the Office Server and select Properties. Then place a checkmark next to Disable LFR to CFR Synchronization.
   • During the time of the backup process, synchronization will not be allowed. Users attempting to synchronize during this time will receive an error.
3. Close the Administrator module, if open.
4. Using Microsoft Windows File Explorer, browse to ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Utilities\Backup Restore, double-click on BackupRestoreUtil.exe.
   • Where "?" is the drive where Pfx Engagement is installed to.
   • 2023 version and higher: C:\Program Files (x86)\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Utilities\Backup
5. Click Next on the Welcome dialog.
6. After the information has been read and understood regarding the backup, check the box and click Next.
7. Select Backup, and choose Differential.
8. Provide the location where the files are to be stored by clicking Browse.
   • The selected location must be on a local drive/directory or mapped networks drive.
   • If a mapped network drive is selected, the user account under which the Microsoft SQL Server service is running must have credentials to write to that mapped network location.
9. Click Next.
10. Review the backup settings, and click Backup to begin the backup process.
    • A progress indicator page will display to show the progress of the backup.
    • Once complete, a page will display the number of databases that were successfully backed up and the number that failed to be backed up.
11. Click View Log to view a log detailing the backup information for each database.
12. Click Finish to exit the wizard.
13. Log back into the Administrator Module, and re-enable binder Admin and Binder synchronization following the information listed in step 2 above.
     

Running the Backup Utility with a Transaction Log Backup (with User Interface)

Below are instructions on how to use Transaction Log backups.

• What is a Transaction Log Backup for CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement or Workpaper Manager?

1. Verify that there has been a recent full backup of the databases.
2. If running the backup during office hours, disable synchronization.
   • It is highly recommended that the Admin and Binder synchronization be disabled before beginning the backup process to ensure that the databases and workpapers contain identical information.
     • To disable Admin Sync, log into the Admin Module, right-click on the Office Server in the Central File Room pane and select Properties. Then place a checkmark next to Disable Admin Synchronization.
     • To disable binder synchronization, log into the Admin Module, right-click on the Central File Room listed underneath the Office Server and select Properties. Then place a checkmark next to Disable LFR to CFR Synchronization.
   • During the time of the backup process, synchronization will not be allowed. Users attempting to synchronize during this time will receive an error.
3. Close the Administrator module, if open.
4. Using Microsoft Windows File Explorer, browse to ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Utilities\Backup Restore, double-click on BackupRestoreUtil.exe.
   • Where "?" is the drive where Pfx Engagement is installed to.
   • 2023 version and higher: C:\Program Files (x86)\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Utilities\Backup
5. Click Next on the Welcome dialog.
6. After the information has been read and understood regarding the backup, check the box and click Next.
7. Select Backup, and choose Transaction Log.
8. Provide the location where the files are to be stored by clicking Browse.
   • The selected location must be on a local drive/directory or mapped networks drive.
   • If a mapped network drive is selected, the user account under which the Microsoft SQL Server service is running must have credentials to write to that mapped network location.
9. Click Next.
10. Review the backup settings and click Backup to begin the backup process.
    • A progress indicator page will display to show the progress of the backup.
    • Once complete, a page will display the number of databases that were successfully backed up and the number that failed to be backed up.
11. Click View Log to view a log detailing the backup information for each database.
12. Click Finish to exit the wizard.
13. Log back into the Administrator Module and re-enable binder Admin and Binder synchronization following the information listed in step 2 above.

• At the end of the process, only one .bak file will be created. This single file will contain the backups for all of the Office Server databases.
• The default name for the backup file is Office Server Name_Full MMDDYYYY HH MM SS.bak or Office Server Name_Differential  MMDDYYYY HH MM SS.bak.
• The Database Backup & Restore Utility does not manage disk space usage. The utility creates a unique .bak file each time it runs. The firm will need to monitor disk space usage, and delete aged .bak files based on the firm's needs for potential data recovery.
• The Database Backup & Restore Utility is designed to also run as a scheduled task. Please refer to the article.
  • How do I create a scheduled task to run the CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement or Workpaper Manager Database Backup & Restore Utility?
• Also, the Database Backup & Restore Utility is the best tool to assist in migrating the Administrator Module from one server to another. 
  • Go to How do I migrate CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement or Workpaper Manager Administrator module to a new server? for more information.
• For scheduled backups, the Transaction Log backup solution is recommended over the Differential backup method as it does not require the database enter Single_User mode to complete the Transaction Log backup like it does for the Differential backup.
  • How do I create a scheduled task to run the CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement or Workpaper Manager Database Backup & Restore Utility?
  • What is a Transaction Log Backup for CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement or Workpaper Manager?
  • What is a CCH ProSystem fx Engagement Differential Backup?