I refer to that as a fuzzy backup. I agree with others that a VFP backup taken while data is being worked on is risky. Indexes can get messed up, not to mention that parent/child data may not be in synch because of ongoing editing while a backup is occurring (i.e., data integrity problems).

One possible way to reduce the risk however, is to create a back up with the COPY TO command. If you do this without the [WITH CDX] option, no indexes are created. The backup will happen faster and then you can create the indexes on the backup data in a subsequent step.

This is not a sure solution that protects you from data integrity problems, but it reduces the risk a little. Especially if the database is small.

Guy



>Hilmar,
>While on the subject of backups:
>
>I am fixing to have a discussion with somone who thinks he knows it all. Ever heard of one of those guys? :)
>
>He has already informed me that he has backup software that can back files up even though they are in use, and get a good backup. I did not argue because I did not have time.
>
>BUT, Here is what I believe to be the truth:
>
>If you back files up while they are being updated, (use Foxpro for an example), the index file can possibly be out of sync with it's associated header file/table. I would guess the same would be true for memo (FPT) files since they are separate files in Foxpro.
>
>I have always believed this to be true. I'd like to know if I am correct because if so, I will ONLY consider a good backup to be taken when the system is down.
>
>Assuming I am right (and I may not be), I would think a better way to backup would be to have a menu option within my app, that would backup the files but only do so when no updates are occurring. That may not be so simple to accomplish but it seems it would sure be a nice feature.
>
>Thanks,
>John