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Page References

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SectionB.10
SectionB.10

Version management

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No matter what precautions are taken, data is probably going to be lost at some time either accidentally or through malice or theft. There is a need for a strategy to be in place which covers both the backing-up of data and a tried and tested recovery plan. In short, risk assessments should be undertaken. If the HER is remotely hosted, there is an increased need to ensure that adequate back up facilities are in place.
No matter what precautions are taken, data is probably going to be lost at some time either accidentally or through malice or theft. There is a need for a strategy to be in place which covers both the backing-up of data and a tried and tested recovery plan. Some form of risk assessment should be undertaken.
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GFS (grandfather, father, son) is a widely used back-up plan. It is usually employed as part of a tape-rotation strategy but can be employed with other storage media. GFS is normally based on a weekly schedule with full, partial or no back-ups undertaken variously on each day. The last full back-up of the week is the 'father' with any daily back-ups described as a ’son'. The latter are often selective involving very specific data that may have changed since the last 'father' back-up was done. These back-ups are transient and the storage medium can be reused once a new 'father' has been created, however, the last full back-up of each month, known as the 'grandfather', is usually kept as a permanent copy and not available for reuse. It is good practice to store monthly and even weekly back-ups offsite, preferably in a secure and fireproof environment.
HERs held by local authorities will usually be part of that authority’s back-up routine, which may mean a twice daily back-up and set procedures in place for restoring files which have been lost or corrupted. These systems may be held off site, in RAID disk arrays, where data is mirrored on more than one disk, or Storage Area Networks (SANs), which allow the sharing of back-up equipment between computers.
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Using GFS may be excessive for many situations, especially if data remains static for long periods. For example, updating a database might be so irregular that only an occasional back-up is necessary. In such cases, it might be sufficient to export a copy of the database following updating and to back-up the whole system weekly or monthly. Backing-up and recovery strategies should be tailored to need.
Stand-alone HERs will need their own back-up procedure. A traditional one is GFS (grandfather, father, son), where daily back-ups are sons, weekly back-ups are fathers, and monthly back-ups are grandfathers, each level able to be overwritten after a suitable interval, except for the grandfather, which is kept. High capacity DVDs and memory sticks are suitable mediums for this sort of back-up, with the advantage that they can be kept off-site for added security. Using GFS may be excessive for many situations, especially if data remains static for long periods, but it can be adjusted so the interval are longer or whenever data is updated. There are also now online back-up services, which may also be an option for some HERs.
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Traditionally tape has been used as a back-up medium. It is cheap and tape back-up systems are inexpensive to buy. However, low-cost alternatives are now also available through high capacity DVD based systems for example. Serious consideration should be given to these for smaller systems, as they have the added advantage of easily enabling the movement of data between systems with similar drives. Other emerging back-up technologies include RAID disk arrays, where data is mirrored on more than one disk, or Storage Area Networks (SANs), which allow the sharing of back-up equipment between computers, although these are probably aimed more at the corporate market.
If the HER is remotely hosted, the HER Officer should ensure that the host has adequate back up facilities in place.
It is good practice to attempt a test restore on a separate PC or server to ensure back up procedures are adequate. This should be repeated after upgrades and alterations to the system. Backup and restore procedures should be included in disaster recovery plans. If complete disaster happens and your back-up strategy fails or has not been implemented all may not be lost. A number of companies specialise in recovery following drive crashes, virus attack, file system corruption and so forth. It might be an expensive exercise but so is data loss. The only solution is to maintain an efficient back-up and recovery strategy and document this in your disaster plan.
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It is good practice to attempt a test restore on a separate PC or server to ensure back up procedures are adequate. This should be repeated after upgrades and alterations to the system. Backup and restore procedures should be included in disaster recovery plans.
As a final thought, if complete disaster happens and your back-up strategy fails or has not been implemented all may not be lost. A number of companies specialise in recovery following drive crashes, virus attack, file system corruption and so forth. It might be an expensive exercise but so is data loss. The only solution is to maintain an efficient back-up and recovery strategy and document this in your disaster plan.
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Most organisations consider HER databases to be specialist professional applications that may be developed either as bespoke systems or purchased as off-the-shelf products. In specifying new HER databases it is important to consider both compliance with nationally agreed data standards and user requirements for working with the system. HER managers are recommended to consult other HERs and [Historic England|Glossary#Historic England|target='_blank'] to discuss the systems that are in use in HERs as well as talking to IT professionals (whether consultants or those working for their organisation).
Most organisations consider HER databases to be specialist professional applications that may be developed either as bespoke systems or purchased as off-the-shelf products. In specifying new HER databases it is important to consider both compliance with nationally agreed data standards and user requirements for working with the system. HER managers are recommended to consult other HERs and [Historic England|Glossary#Historic England|target='_blank'] (or [Cadw|Glossary#Cadw|target='_blank'] in Wales) to discuss the systems that are in use in HERs as well as talking to IT professionals (whether consultants or those working for their organisation).
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It is probable that the FISH Interoperability Toolkit will have a significant role to play in the movement and migration of data in the future (See also section [B.7|SectionB.7], [B.8|SectionB.8]).
It is probable that the [FISH Interoperability Toolkit|Glossary#FISH Interoperability Toolkit|target='_blank'] will have a significant role to play in the movement and migration of data in the future (See also section [B.7|SectionB.7#B.7.4 The FISH Interoperability Toolkit]).
This page (revision-24) was last changed on 17-May-2016 12:34 by Chris MartinTop