developing a database with OSX and relying on Time Machine backups

Apologies to any experienced developer - to which this may seem obvious - but it wasn’t to me until I got hit by it.

Using LO Version: 4.4.1.2 & OSX 10.10.3

This is not a question but a warning to anyone developing/using a database on OSX and relying on TimeMachine for backups and recovery.

It does not appear to work as you might expect it too if you have the database open at the time of a backup i.e. the .lck file is visible.

The database is saved BUT the correct state of the data is not! - Even if the data is static i.e. read and not updated. I’ve had strange things happen e.g. in a recovered database a column in a table been emptied. The table had been read (but not changed) at the time of the backup

My advice is to make regular (hourly if you are developing during the day) check-point version saves with a serialised name e.g. mydb_01, mydb_02, mydb_03 and close off the old db as you move onto the new one.

That way TimeMachine will make good backups of your serialised dbs . If you keep them open it won’t!