PRS Administration Guide > Database Maintenance

Databases can be damaged by your computing environment. The PRS will usually warn you at start up if it suspects a damaged database with the following message: Cannot open shared PRS database the file may be corrupt. If you get this message you should Compact and Backup the shared database immediately using the PRS database administration program (PRSMon).

Steps you can take to avoid data errors and data corruption include:

•	Don't unplug network cables, press the PC reset button or turn off the PC power while the PRS is open.

•	Fatal system errors almost always cause abnormal termination. If your computer is prone to fatal errors, you should resolve the source of the errors.

•	Compact the database regularly using the PRS Monitor program (PRSMon).

•	Do not attempt to open the PRS shared database with other applications — use a copy instead (run the PRS Monitor Make Offline Copy menu command to create a copy).

•	Turn off anti-virus background scanning of the shared PRS database.

•	Use robust, reliable hardware — database application reliability is only as good as file server and network. Databases are more network intensive than other applications, consequently intermittent hardware problems are much more likely to show up in database applications such as the PRS.

•	Disable opportunistic locking on all PRS client PCs or the server hosting the shared PRS database (see https://prshq.com/maintenance.html).

In addition you should also:

•	Verify that the latest operating system service pack is installed.

•	Verify that the latest Microsoft Jet Service Pack is installed on all clients (the PRS client install should ensure the correct service pack is installed).

Users should be encouraged to close the PRS before closing down Windows and switching their PC's off.

The PC containing the shared PRS database should not be shut down until all PRS users have logged off (see Logging Off Users).

If database compaction and repair fails or results in data truncation you may need to revert to the previous PRS backup (see Backing up the PRS).

To safeguard your data you should compact and backup the shared PRS database regularly.