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Clone a database

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Aug 29, 2023 by Denise McGettigan
2 min read

  1. Click Administration > Databases.

  2. On the Databases administration screen, select the database you want to clone, then click More > Clone.

  3. Enter a Display Name for the new database. This is the name users see.

  4. Select the items you want to copy (clone) into the new database:

    • Defined Periods - All the defined periods are copied to the new database.

    • Users - All existing users and their current default period and user restrictions are copied to the new database. This option only becomes available when the Defined Periods option is selected.

    • Default Restriction - If the original database has a default restriction, it is copied to the new database.

    • Folder Favorites - All global favorites, stored in folders against the source database, are replicated in the new database.

    • Personal Favorites - All personal favorites created by users in the original database are replicated in the new one.

    • Design - You get very different results, depending on whether you select this option or not. If you are cloning a financial database, you must select this option to clone the design.

      • If you clone the design:

        • A physical copy of the SQL server database is created, which includes a copy of the original database design (setup).

        • No link is retained between the original and clone database. The clone becomes a completely separate database.

        • You can proceed to modify the design of the new database in Designer.

      • If you do NOT clone the design:

        • Only a copy of the application database, not the physical SQL server database, is created. 

        • A link is retained between the original and clone database, so if you edit the original, the clone will also be edited. Because the cloned application database refers to the same physical database, both databases are updated at the same time when the physical database is built.

        • This option allows you to apply sophisticated user access restrictions, where the same physical database is made accessible to a user multiple times but with different levels of restriction.

        • You cannot modify the design of the new database in Designer.

  5. Click Save.