Introduction #
We often have customers reaching out to us asking “How do we do a test restore?” It’s great to see that you are prioritising your disaster recovery strategies.
While it’s essential to ensure your backup system is functioning well, I want to clarify that performing a true restoration back to Xero can be complicated due to certain limitations within the Xero platform. Here’s how you can approach this testing effectively:
1. Testing Backup Validity: #
- Perform a Backup Review: Ensure that your current backups, managed through Control-C, are complete and include all necessary financial data, such as invoices, bills, transactions, and journal entries.
- Data Validation: Run checks against your recent backups to validate that the data is accurate and free from corruption.
2. Simulating Data Restoration: #
- While a direct restoration back to Xero is not recommended due to limitations such as the inability to recreate the Journal and potential for incomplete data imports, you can simulate a data restoration scenario by:
- Exporting Data: Take a sample of your current data and export it from Xero into a safe environment, like a local spreadsheet, for review.
- Backup Verification: Compare this exported data against the archived backup from Control-C to ensure everything aligns properly.
3. Utilising Other Platforms for Testing: #
- Consider using a testing environment or sandbox platform where you can safely import your backup without affecting your live Xero data. backapp is the perfect tools for this and it is provided free of charge. This can help you verify the integrity and completeness.
4. Documenting the Process: #
- Keep a written record of your testing procedures, findings, and any discrepancies observed during the simulation. This documentation can serve as part of your disaster recovery standard operating procedures (SOP).
5. Reviewing Data Recovery Procedures: #
- In case of user errors or data corruption, remember that proper practices involve correcting or reversing transactions rather than restoring. Assess your team’s understanding of these procedures and ensure they are trained in how to manage common user errors effectively.
Conclusion: #
Although simulating a full restore to Xero is not practical, you can verify backup integrity and data alignment effectively through other means. By leveraging separate testing environments and thorough validation processes, you can demonstrate that your disaster recovery plan is solid and capable of addressing potential data loss scenarios.
If you have any further questions or need additional guidance, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
