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Maintaining and recovering FileMaker Pro databases
F
ILEMAKER PRO HELP 1205
In many cases, a successfully recovered database is larger than the original database. This is
caused by new disk blocks being allocated as the database is recovered. For example, rebuilding
the index field by field and record by record can cause data distribution that is different (and possibly
larger) than the original file.
After you recover a file, copy the most recent data from the recovered file to a backup copy of the
original file. It is safest to use that file instead of the recovered file.
Note A newly recovered database will also take longer to open than a database that was closed
properly the last time it was used. This happens only the first time a recovered database is opened,
as a result of rebuilding various internal structures that were deleted during recovery.
Related topics
Troubleshooting file recovery
Setting advanced file recovery options
FileMaker Pro uses certain default settings when it recovers a file. You can change these settings
when you attempt to recover a damaged file.
Note FileMaker Pro Advanced: Runtime applications do not support advanced file recovery
features.
To set advanced file recovery options:
1. Choose File menu > Recover.
2. Select the file to recover, and click Select.
3. In the “Name new recovered file” dialog box, select Use advanced options.
FileMaker Pro displays the Advanced Recovery Options dialog box, with either the default
recovery options selected (if this is the first time the dialog box is displayed during the current
application launch) or with the most recent settings made during the current application launch.
4. Select one option for how you want FileMaker Pro to generate the new file.
After the new file is generated, it is scanned and then a new database is rebuilt according to the
options you select in the next step.
Field indexes • Rebuilt
• NOT modified
• Removed for later rebuilding (as needed)
• Some rebuilt, some removed for later rebuilding
For this component One of these messages is displayed
Select To Default
Copy file blocks as-is Copy all file blocks as they are to the recovered file,
which may include damaged blocks.
Off
Copy logical structure (same
as Compacted Copy)
Copy all the original data without checking the blocks
and rebuild the tree structure in the recovered file.
Off
Scan blocks and rebuild file
(drop invalid blocks)
Include only undamaged and non-duplicate blocks in
the recovered file.
On