The 4D backup system, can be an important feature for those using it as the database's solution to address any issues of failure or corruption of the database.

While the backups can be enabled easily, it is also important to monitor the backups.

The backups can be actively monitored through many user interface solutions. Some of these are:

• Server Administration Window's Maintenance Section
• the MSC Window's Backup Section
• the Backup Logs

However, actively monitoring the backups can become tedious if everything seems to be working well for a long period.

Backups can also be passivly monitored in many ways. From 4D, the backups can be easily monitored using the On Backup Startup Database Method, On Backup Startup Database Method, and/or the GET BACKUP INFORMATION command.

The database methods are automatically called when the backup starts and stops and contains parameters to inform if the backup was successful or not.
The GET BACKUP INFORMATION command returns inforamtion about the last backup ran on the database.

The info from these features can be used to check if a backup has failed and then alert the proper personel by sending an email or generating some type of notification where the person does not have to actively check on the database to see if a backup has failed.

There are many ways to monitor backups, but at least one should be applied.