The Database menu enable you to handle System Architect encyclopedia databases. You can copy or move a database from server to server, create backups, view log reports, reclaim disk space formerly used by deleted records, and so on.

Make sure no one is connected to or editing an encyclopedia when perform the SAEM functions described below.

Used in combination with the DETACH function, ATTACH lets you take a database from one SQL Server and copy it onto another SQL Server. You can also attach a database to the same server from which it was detached. This allows you to copy a database from a server on one physical disk to a server on another physical disk, thereby eliminating the need to use the Restore function.

See Attach database.

Used in combination with the ATTACH function, DETACH lets you transfer a database from one server to another. Detaching is also used in order to perform maintenance tasks. Doing so makes it unavailable to others, but also lets you do your maintenance on another server.

See Detach database.

A backup creates a duplicate copy of a database, which you can then use to restore the database, or as a way of copying it to a different location. When creating a backup, you can specify the file name (for example, my_sql_encyc.bak), destination, and choose to perform a complete or a differential backup. The first backup you create must be complete. Subsequent backups can be of the differential type, which only backs up data that has changed since the last backup.

See Backup database.

Restore recreates a database from a backup copy. A backup can be restored to a different server from which it was created. If the target server already contains a database with the same name as the backup, the backup overwrites the existing database.

See Restore database.

When database records are deleted, space previously used by those records becomes free, and could be reused. The shrink function reuses that available space and reduces the database file size. You cannot shrink a database and make it smaller than its original size.

See Shrink database.

When you delete a database, it is permanently removed from a server. However, if a backup exists, you can restore the database.

See Delete database.

Log Report provides an Error log and a Network log report. For each report type, you can run a Complete report, select the Last number of days, or specify a From and To date range. Your report automatically opens if it contains data. If it does not contain data, an information dialog notifies you there is no data to log.