03 - Backing Up a Cloud-based System

03 - Backing Up a Cloud-based System

This tutorial will guide you through backing up data from a cloud application.
While this tutorial will demonstrate backing up data from Clio, the steps are nearly identical for every cloud-based application.

Launch the Backup Utility

In Universal Migrator, click the Backup button.

Next, choose the system you want to back up. In this case, we will select Clio Manage.
You can use the search box to filter through the list of systems, which will make it easier to find the one you're looking for.
 

Create a database to hold the backup

On this screen, you can name the cached database.
The default name typically includes today’s date, time, and the system being backed up.
Universal Migrator recommends leaving the default name and appending a tag that indicates which client the backup is for. For example, I will append TestFirm.com.
 

Log in to the cloud application

Click the region of the Clio account the firm is using.

A web browser window will open where you can log in with the firm’s username and password.
Ensure that the account you log in with has access to all of the firm's data.
If any permissions or ethical walls restrict access, the backup will be incomplete.



Click Allow Access once prompted.

Now that you're logged in, click Next. It will take a few moments as the database is being created for you.

This screen is tailored for each platform and shows everything that Universal Migrator can back up.
As a general rule, when working with cloud applications, it’s best to back up all data unless you specifically do not need certain elements, such as documents.
In this case, we will back up everything, including documents.
 

Create a local document cache

Since we are backing up from a cloud system, we need a local storage location to save the documents.

You can select any location that your PC can access through File Explorer, however, there are some important guidelines you should always  follow:

Always store documents in a high-speed location near the migration workstation.
You should NOT cache documents to a slow location.  For example, do not use an old server, an old USB thumb drive, or a “far away” location like Google Drive, OneDrive, or a server in a different network.
Doing so will significantly slow down the backup process, as documents are downloaded, staged on the migration workstation, and then transferred to the specified location.

In this example, I will store the documents locally:

I’ll open File Explorer, navigate to C:\, and create a new folder named __MIGRATIONS. Inside this folder, I’ll create a subfolder named after the firm, in this case, TestFirm.com, and then create a DOCS folder within it.

 

Now, I’ll close File Explorer and instruct Universal Migrator to cache the documents in that location. Click the ellipsis (...), then browse to C:\MIGRATIONS\TestFirm.com\DOCS and select the folder.
 

Initiate the Initial Backup

Now I am ready to initiate the backup by clicking Next.

Data will be downloaded as quickly as your hardware and the source system allows.  Some systems have speed limits in place so don't be surprised if it takes a bit of time.  Regardless of whether it takes a few minutes or a few hours, your job is done.  Universal Migrator will handle backing up all the data you requested.

This initial backup will be the longest because the backup will download all the documents from the source system.
You should notate how long the initial backup took in your playbook.

Initiate the Delta Backup

Once the initial backup is complete, you should immediately start a "delta" backup.
In this backup, you should use a new database but use the existing document cache folder.

On this second pass, because the existing document cache folder was used, before downloading each document, Universal Migrator will check the cache folder to see if the document has already been downloaded and verify that that the "created at", "modified at", and file size attributes match the information from the server.  If they match, Universal Migrator will skip downloading the file; if they don't, the file will be re-downloaded.

Some systems enable deltas to take place very quickly but others will take a while.  By starting an immediate delta backup, you'll get a sense of how long the delta backups from that system take.
Once you have this information, you should include it in your playbook.  This will help you plan for go-live.
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