Q: Do I need a MySQL/Microsoft SQL License to access my data?
Apricot databases and database backups do require an installation of MySQL to access them. You will not be able to access your backup without the proper software installed. It's recommended that users receiving the backups are familiar with SQL and how to use MySQL, as they are presented in the form of raw data.
You do not need a license to use MySQL, as it is covered under the GNU General Public License. You can learn more about MySQL here. MySQL Community Edition can be downloaded here.
Q: What are our options for exporting our database?
Options include one-time or recurring backups of your SQL database exported in SQL format for collection from WorkDocs or an SFTP server, respectively. These are paid offerings that can be acquired by engaging the Account Management team here.
Recurring backups: Full backups of your database are sent nightly to an SFTP server. You may then download all your data with provisioned access to the SFTP server, restore it to your own servers, then query it using SQL. The nightly backup contains the changes made in your database since the last full backup.
For clients with data warehouses, leveraging automated jobs that push both these full backups into your data warehouses ensures a streamlined and resource-efficient process for maintaining up-to-date information.
Q: How long will it take to prepare a backup?
It takes about two weeks for the initial setup of the SFTP and nightly export.
Q: What file type will the backup be?
The file is provided in a SQL file format. Once you receive the file, you will download your data from the SFTP server, restore your database onto your own server, then query your database using SQL.
Q: Can we receive the backup in a non-SQL format?
If you have purchased a one-time or recurring SQL backup, no. It is only in SQL format.
The Professional Services team can pull a .CSV file from reports, but it would need to be re-scoped through your Account Manager.
Q: Can we pick the time that the backup is run?
No, this cannot be requested.
Q: How do I access the file(s)?
One-time backups are accessed through Amazon WorkDocs.
For recurring backups, we recommend using CyberDuck, a free and open-source FTP/SFTP solution for accessing your files. This has been tested and verified to ensure it will work for accessing your files.
Note: Apricot Support is unable to access your files directly for you. We recommend performing any initial testing with CyberDuck prior to using your organization's own FTP/SFTP software. This will help us troubleshoot where access issues may lie.
Q: CyberDuck is requesting a registration key. What do I do?
Some approaches to downloading CyberDuck (such as through the Windows Store or Mac App Store) come with a registration key that disables a donation prompt. While you may choose to purchase a registration key to support the development of CyberDuck, the registration key is not required to use the software for transfer files.
If you are unable to bypass this registration key to find your backups, please try the following steps:
In CyberDuck, navigate to the Menu options > Bookmark > History > Find AmazonS3.
Q: The password provided with the backup wasn’t needed to access the data. What is it for?
The password provided is only needed to unzip the files. It is not needed to access MySQL, as you will need to set up your own password.
Q: I lost the password provided via PrivNote/SafeNote. Can you resend it?
Yes, we can get this password from our CloudOps team for you.
Q: Where are my attachments?
Attachments are only available and included for one-time exports.
Attachments are labeled as the name of the document. You will need to download all contents of the folder in Amazon WorkDocs (not just the .zip) for attachments.
Note: Attachments are not available for recurring backups.
Q: I'm unable to download the .zip file on my Mac. What do I do?
You may need to download another app to access zipped files on a Mac. On MacOS, we recommend using The Unarchiver, a free file archiving tool.
Q: Can you help me extract my data from the SQL file?
We can troubleshoot accessing the file from our SFTP server. However, we cannot assist with downloading your file or using MSSQL, MySQL, or any other tools used to extract the data from the received SQL file.
Q: May I have a mapping document or data dictionary?
There is a table called “forms_metadata_view” in the SQL backup which has your fields/sections/forms mapping. You may restore the entire database then query this specific table for these details, or you may restore just this table if you only want a mapping document.
For more information on performing a restore, please review MySQL's process documentation here.
Q: How can I view the relationships between my Tier 1 and Tier 2 records in these tables?
This can be achieved by referencing the Documents table. Each Tier 2 record will have a Parent ID value in this table that matches the Document ID of a Tier 1 record. This allows you to confirm that the association or relationship between records is honored in your queries.
Q: Is there a way to filter our SQL export to only display active forms and records?
This can be achieved by referencing the Documents table and the column named "Active". If the value in this column is "0", that means it is an archived record. An example of simple SQL that may help search for active records is below:
SELECT * from documents where id = $record_id AND active =1;
Q: How long do you keep database backups for?
We store database backups for 13 months after they're created as a safeguard for our clients.