Good morning Anonymous,
Such a long message... let me see if I can cut to the chase a bit.
There is no 100% way to avoid damaged files. There are simply too many
moving parts where any one of them can cause problems. You should
backup as frequently as you deem fit. That is, if you're comfortable
losing two days of data entry, you only need to back up every two
days. If an hour of data loss unacceptable then you should backup more
frequently than that. A copy of FMS would come in handy in this regard.
You should make a "clone" of the database whenever you make structural
changes (e.g. defining new fields, creating/modifying layouts, etc.).
You only need to keep a few of these clones around - perhaps only
those where major changes have been made. As the database progresses
and you don't encounter problems, you can throw away the older clones.
Recover is only for repairing a damaged file to retrieve data. If you
have a file that has been damaged you can do one of two things:
1) make a copy of your latest clone and import the recovered data
2) revert to your latest backup and reenter the missing data
Saving a compressed copy optimizes the size and structure of the file.
It is the only "preventative" action I would recommend. By no means
should the Recover operation be used as a preventative measure. A copy
of FMDiff might come in handy to help you manage these processes and
keep an eye on the state of your files.
Cheers,
-corn
Corn Walker
The Proof Group
http://proofgroup.com/
