PHPMyAdmin doesn't seem to have a "copy" function but I used the "export" function successfully. Any suggestions on the export settings I should use to make sure I can import later if I need to?

There's a tutorial here:

https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=103

I'd suggest Dr Bytes Backup My SQL plugin:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&cPath=40_41&products_id=81

Allows backup held on the server and you can also download backups to store offline.

Thanks for the tutorial link. I appreciate the plugin suggestion, but after trying to install a plugin yesterday and completely crashing my site, I'm going to stay away from plugins until I get a test site functional to try them on! That was NOT a fun experience. :frusty:

It depends what control panel you have. If you have cPanel for exemple, you can do a database backup directly for the backup section in cPanel. It is simpler than using PhpMyAdmin.

hello mama the backup mod dosnt touch ANY files,
its completly stand alone

Ok, this question will probably win the 'most ridiculous question ever asked in the history of the zencart forums' award but I'm just a non-programmer, non-php/sql savvy shop owner that just wants to do it right :blush:

Okay here goes...

I am backing up my full zencart store by just copying (via ftp) all of the folders over to my external hard drive.

Brace yourself, here's the question...

Do I also need to backup my cache and bmz-cache folders, too??? (these folders are HUGE and if I understand correctly I think they only hold historical information but no data that could not be replaced)

Anyway, I really would like to know if these 2 folders need to be backed up... and thanks in advance for being gentle with me and not making me feel like a complete moron.

Zencart ROCKS :clap:

No need to backup those.

Thank you VERY much, yellow. I appreciate the quick response AND your compassion :smile:

Zencart ROCKS :clap:

Craft Magick:

I am backing up my full zencart store by just copying (via ftp) all of the folders over to my external hard drive.
That is an excellent idea and everyone should do it. It provides a complete backup of your files on your Computer, which is handy for all kinds of reasons.

The thing to be aware of though, using your FTP program does not usually provide one access to their Database. To backup/download your Database you would need to use either phpMyAdmin (Export feature) or your Hosting Control Panel; presuming it provides that feature.

Website Rob:

That is an excellent idea and everyone should do it. It provides a complete backup of your files on your Computer, which is handy for all kinds of reasons.

The thing to be aware of though, using your FTP program does not usually provide one access to their Database. To backup/download your Database you would need to use either phpMyAdmin (Export feature) or your Hosting Control Panel; presuming it provides that feature.

Thank you very much, Rob. That puts my mind at ease.

I was actually about to post a question about doing the database backups, too :)

I had found an article on the zencart Wiki regarding database backups with phpMyAdmin (here's the link for anyone else that may need it)

http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/LocalCopySite

and was going to ask if this was still a current and/or best way to do the backups.

So thank you very much for your help. It is welcomed and appreciated more than you know.

Have a magickal holiday season!

Zencart ROCKS :clap:

The Wiki Tutorial pretty much explains how to use phpMyAdmin to backup databases. My personal preference for the last two steps are:

Filename Template: DB

Compression: "gzipped" (or whatever you prefer... gzip makes smaller files)

For compression I prefer to use 'sql' as the format for small databases. If the database is double digit MB then 'gzipped' is not a bad idea as it will speed up the download.

For 'file name' I prefer to insert the date at the beginning so I know when the backup was taken. Some people are not aware that when saving any file on your computer you can rename it to "almost" whatever you want. I say "almost" because one should never change the File Format. A "zip" always ends in ".zip" for example.

Thank you very much for the tips. They will be taken under advisement and implemented...

Happy Holidays!

Zencart ROCKS :clap: