WP DBManager Plugin – Best Alternative
Although we already covered the WP DBManager Plugin in a previous article, I have heard from several readers that they are experiencing difficulties in using the WP DBManager Plugin.
Having checked into this, it appears that the problems arise through security issues with certain hosting companies (my own included) & not so much a problem with the plugin itself.
Because of the importance of taking regular backups of your database, I set about trying out a few alternatives to WP DBManager, one of the best I found is WordPress Database Backup& although it does not offer the same level of functionality as the WP DBManager Plugin, it is very easy to setup & use, and it does do exactly what it is intended to do, without out throwing up any security issues from your host.
So lets go through the install & setup procedure and later test if it actually completes a scheduled backup correctly.
Step 1. Go to WordPress.org and do a search for “WP-DB-Backup” or simply click the link to download the plugin.
Step 2. Install as you would any other WordPress plugin & then activate.
Step 3. From within your WordPress admin panel, go to “Tools” and click on “Backup”, check whichever options you require, (I would suggest everything, because it is far easier to delete what is not needed than it is to replace what you haven’t got).
Step 4. You have 3 options of what to do with your database backup, save to server, download to pc or email to the email address used in WordPress admin.
Step 5. Having selected where to send your backup, I would suggest that you now do an imediate backup.
Step 6. Once it completes the backup & has sent it wherever you instructed it to, you will see the image below.
Step 7. Assuming all has gone well so far, the next step is to set up a schedule so our backup gets done automatically.
This is the one area I think this plugin is let down somewhat by the author, the options to backup “Never”, “Once Hourly” & “Twice Daily”, really are of no use at all. If I was to choose “Never” then I would not install the plugin in the first place, also just think about how often you write an article..? So how often would your site change sufficiently to warrant a hourly or twice daily backup!!!
As can be seen above, my own selection was a weekly backup & when you click the schedule button you then get the option to change the start date & time, so although you have selected weekly it is possible to get the first test done on the same day but a few hours later. I think the option to save on your server (which would be in the root directory of your site), or the email options are the two best choices because it means you are not going to be interupted by a request to accept a download.
As I said earlier, WP-DB-Backup does actually do the job of backing up your database, even though it lacks the finesse & functionality of WP DBManager, nevertheless the schedule facility available with this plugin does make it a very handy tool to have, especially for those who’s hosting companies do not allow the use of WP DBManager.
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Posted by Steve Nickson
on Jul 22 2010. Filed under Wordpress Plugins.
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