topic Re: Backup routine in QlikView

Backup routine

datanibbler — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:19:17 GMT

Hi,

one issue that I have been coming back to every now and then is creating Backups on a regular basis.

There's no question that it's necessary to do so in a professional environment.

The issue is, we have an official routine in the company, but that is not very reliable and it's just too slow - it takes 3d to have a file re-created, and then it is not absolutely certain that it works ... so it's necessary to have something else in place, but I cannot count on the help of our official IT_department, I can't ask them "help me build something because your solution is too slow" - they (the local IT) might do it - but they cannot, it's global and they are not allowed to circumvent global standards.

So - what I would like - maybe something like that is available already, I don't have the spare time to build it - is a tool that just

- opens every app lying in a specific directory (we have a Backup directory already, I create a folder with a datestamp there once in a
while and just copy the apps over)

- Runs the app and deletes all the data

- closes it

=> Thinking about it, is it not that when reloading any app, qlikView first deletes all the data before loading it again? So I could just put an EXIT command, depending on the value of a variable (with an IF THEN ENDIF) into every script. That way, I'd still have to open up and run every app, but I could do that.

I could make the value of the variable - or the loading of the qvs file with the variable - dependent on the directory, so only the apps that are already in the backup_directory would load it.

<=> Would that work with a BINARY? Many of our apps have a BINARY command to load a big DataModel - we have a three-tier
structure. The BINARY, acc. to the help_file, has to be the very first command - so how can I put that EXIT construction before
it?

Can anybody outthink that obstacle for me?

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,

DataNibbler

Re: Backup routine

datanibbler — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:31:12 GMT

Hi,

well, I guess it doesn't have to be quite that complicated - once the app is in the backup_directory, I could do without a variable and just build an IF_THEN_ENDIF construct, dependent on the output of FILEDIR, with an EXIT command in it.

<=> That leaves the issue about the BINARY LOADs. I could, of course, built just the same IF_THEN_ENDIF construct with a number of DROP commands within to get rid of all the datamodel and then EXIT. It would just be considerably more work.

Best regards,

DataNibbler

Re: Backup routine

datanibbler — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:51:29 GMT

Hi,

I think I have something - could someone tell me if this could work, please? I realized the FILEDIR() command is only good for retrieving the path to a file you just loaded, so it doesn't really help here. This might work, however.

// First I set the ErrorMode to 0 so QlikView will ignore any script errors and continue anyway´

SET ErrorMode = 0;
// Then I load a dummy_table - a simple text_file that I would have to copy into every new backup_directory, so it
// would not be there in the live_directories.
Dummy:
LOAD
AAAAAAA as Text
FROM
Dummy.txt
(txt, codepage is 1252, embedded labels, delimiter is '\t', msq);

// Then I would use the NoOfRows() fct. to find out if the script just loaded anything or not
LET v_Rows_Dummy = NoOfRows('Dummy');

// Then I could built my IF_THEN_ENDIF construct to exit if the dummy_file was present, and thus to empty the
// app of all data in case it is already in the backup_directory.
IF v_Rows_Dummy >= 1 THEN
EXIT SCRIPT;
ENDIF

// Finally, I would have to reset the ErrorMode to what it was.
SET ErrorMode = 1

Best regards,

DataNibbler

Re: Backup routine

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:58:30 GMT

Assuming your requirement is to be able restore a qvw file [but not the data] that has somehow got broken back to a version before the breakage, then have you considered using the QV Change Control facilities ?

[You can use it with SubVersion, that is a rock solid but a free open source software and is the de facto industry standard]

Best Regards, Bill

Re: Backup routine

datanibbler — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 10:04:17 GMT

Hi Bill,

yes, that is my requirement. The data is only momentaneous, but the logic in the apps has to be secured - that also serves, via the date_stamped folders, as a kind of version_control.

What are those Change_control_facilities you mention? I haven't heard about them before.

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,

DataNibbler

Re: Backup routine

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 10:12:08 GMT

Updated Guide to QlikView and Source Control (TFS & Subversion)

Re: Backup routine

datanibbler — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:31:54 GMT

Hi Bill,

thanks a lot!

Maybe, though, I was not clear enough: I don't want any solution that will require me to install anything - I cannot, I don't have the ADMIN rights and I cannot ask IT "Please install a version_system, I need a backup solution that works because yours doesn't". It's true, but I cannot do that.

=> So this brings me back to my code.

The issue is:

- The code works with all the apps that don't have a BINARY LOAD in the script.

<=> With a BINARY, it doesn't because that has to be the very first command. I can't even place a SET command before it, can I? Well, without a >> Set ErrorMode = 0 <<, every such app will produce an error when it has been moved (copied to the backup_directory) because the relative filepath used for the BINARY LOAD is not correct - so it will generate an error_message that I have to click on, but I cannot make it stop there;

<=> If somehow I could use a >> SET ErrorMode=0 <<, then I could use the system_variable SCRIPTERRORCOUNT to determine whether to stop there, but I cannot.

I will try using an absolute path for the BINARY - that way, that should run, and I can then, instead of stopping the script, drop all the tables again.

Re: Backup routine

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:50:58 GMT

This thread may help you

Automatic backup system for qvw files

Re: Backup routine

rwunderlich — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 21:49:07 GMT

Once the file is on the backup directory, open the file and use File, Reduce Data, Remove all Values. Then Save.

-Rob

Re: Backup routine

datanibbler — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 06:53:46 GMT

Hi Rob,

yes, I know about that. That is what I have been doing until now.

The thing is, I always try to minimize effort - every click is one too many. There are tasks in QlikView that involve an awful number of clicks to do. I try to at least keep the effort in making backups to a minimum.

Best regards,

DataNibbler

Re: Backup routine

datanibbler — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 13:25:32 GMT

Hi all,

I just made my ready developed and tested code into a document.

I think it is easier than going the "File -> reduce data -> delete values" way, though it does take the extra time to run the BINARY - in the apps where there is one - and it does produce .log files that you should delete again - though they are very small.

Thank you all!

Re: Re: Backup routine

rwunderlich — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 18:15:40 GMT

Interesting idea. I think you can simplify it to just:

IF wildmatch(DocumentPath(),'*\backup\*') THEN

EXIT Script;

ENDIF

Of course, if you have a BINARY before that you still have to loop through and drop the existing tables.

-Rob

http://masterssummit.com

http://robwunderlich.com

Re: Re: Backup routine

datanibbler — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 06:52:46 GMT

Hi Rob,

yes, that should also work - I just didn't know about that function - I tried FILEDIR() and all those, but I didn't find one that helped, so I came up with this.

Best regards,

DataNibbler