backup database error

Discussions around using and interfacing with the Church MLS program.
ldsrussp
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#11

Post by ldsrussp »

Alan_Brown wrote:Well, I think you're right in saying that there is a problem in the MLS upgrade process that needs to be addressed. But it is also correct to say that once the bug hits (and it only hits a small portion of all the machines that upgrade their MLS), there is indeed a problem on the local computer that has to be fixed for that ward to get operational again.

Bottom line: both the cause and the symptom have to be fixed.
Ok, that makes sense. I hope it's only these two wards that end up needing fixed. Thanks.
lajackson
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#12

Post by lajackson »

Same problem here, two different units. A complete install of 3.2.1 does not solve the problem.

When a backup is called in 3.2.1, the program looks for a file deep in the system that it cannot find. The folder in question contains any number of files that begin with the same four letters and are followed by a 19-digit number.

One unit has 43 files of this type in the folder, all created on exactly the same date and time. The other unit has no files in the folder.

In any event, the file the backup is calling for is not available, and MLS errors out. Why the "you need more space" message I do not know.

You can find the details in your mlslog.txt file.

It does not matter whether you manually try to backup, or of the program calls for the backup because the financial data has changed.

I just spoke with the help desk. The temporary fix they are giving is to delete the Data folder, which also includes the folder where MLS is looking for the missing file.

There are a couple of challenges in doing this. First, you will delete everything for both units on the computer if two are sharing. You will lose financial statements and confidential saved forms.

The other challenge is that, after you do this and make a backup, you will get the same error message on the 2nd or 3rd backup, because the errant file folder system will be rebuilt.

The help desk said the developers are aware of the bug and are working to find a fix for it.
russellhltn
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#13

Post by russellhltn »

lajackson wrote:In any event, the file the backup is calling for is not available, and MLS errors out. Why the "you need more space" message I do not know.
Defective error detection/message. I've seen that with a non-church program. What happens is that it fails to copy the file which triggers an error. The person writing the error message assumed that the failure would be because the file couldn't be written TO the backup and failed to consider that the problem could be in copying FROM.

It's not easy to anticipate every possible way something could go wrong.
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aebrown
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#14

Post by aebrown »

lajackson wrote:There are a couple of challenges in doing this. First, you will delete everything for both units on the computer if two are sharing. You will lose financial statements and confidential saved forms.
You don't have to delete the entire "data" folder to fix this; the data folder contains a subfolder for each unit (named simply with its unit number). You would only need to delete (or move) the folder for the unit that is having the problem. That would leave the other unit unaffected.

But your further comments seem to indicate that the fix is very temporary, at least in your case. That's a bit depressing.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
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mfmohlma
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#15

Post by mfmohlma »

Just a data point: I had no problem backing up just now with 3.2.1. I did reboot immediately after being notified that the patch was downloaded.
lajackson
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#16

Post by lajackson »

Alan_Brown wrote:You would only need to delete (or move) the folder for the unit that is having the problem. That would leave the other unit unaffected.

True, although in my case, both units were having the problem.
Alan_Brown wrote:But your further comments seem to indicate that the fix is very temporary, at least in your case. That's a bit depressing.

It was discouraging for the help desk to hear, as well. That's when they told me the developers had a bug logged in and were working on it.

I have tried some other things, unsuccessfully. There are subfolders in the data folder for the individual units, and I have tried, from the bottom, deleting folders (especially the new one) and working my way up. Nothing short of deleting the entire unit folder has worked so far.

I hope it is a quick fix. The stake does not want to delete the data folder at this point.
lajackson
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#17

Post by lajackson »

oregonmatt wrote:Just a data point: I had no problem backing up just now with 3.2.1. I did reboot immediately after being notified that the patch was downloaded.

Some (most?) folks are having no trouble at all.

Based on what I am seeing in the directories I have been reviewing, I think the problem is that 3.2.1 is not loading and converting a 3.2.0 backup properly. And in our case, we do not yet have a 3.2.1 backup to use.
sgtbrown26-p40
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#18

Post by sgtbrown26-p40 »

Alan_Brown wrote:Clearly the problem is with the current database. So you need to try an earlier backup.

Before doing anything, I would copy both the "units" and "data" folders from C:\Program Files\LDS Church\MLS to some place for safekeeping. You can always restore those folders and get back to where you are now.

Then follow the instructions in the wiki under Automatic backup for restoring an automatic backup. You could also try restoring the last backup file. With any of these restore options, you might have to redo some work done since the last backup, but it's better to be up and running than not.

I have tried this process last night and still have the problem. I am unable to backup any financial data. This is a big problem, especially with CUBS on the horizon. I need to backup my data before Sunday night at midnight. Any suggestions?
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aebrown
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#19

Post by aebrown »

sgtbrown26 wrote:I have tried this process last night and still have the problem. I am unable to backup any financial data. This is a big problem, especially with CUBS on the horizon. I need to backup my data before Sunday night at midnight. Any suggestions?
After I posted the suggestion you quoted above, there was also a discussion in this thread of working with the "data" directory. That suggestion seems to work better for people with this particular issue. Have you tried following those steps as well?
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sgtbrown26-p40
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#20

Post by sgtbrown26-p40 »

I have tried the other suggestions posted under this thread too. I have spoke with out STC and he is also looking for a fix to our problem.
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