Store Managers Monthly Maintenance Routine

Optimizing your store's database keeps it free from corruption and enables it to function as efficiently as possible. The following easy maintenance routine should be done at least once per month on your store. Failure to regularly optimize your store's database could lead to corruption and require emergency database recovery service.

If you have a 4.x or 5.x DOMAIN STORE, click here for your Maintenance Routine Instructions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you delete orders, products and categories, and otherwise perform certain tasks in Miva Merchant, these items are only FLAGGED for action until you Pack the Data Files. Always Pack Data Files after you delete ANYTHING from your store. Follow the easy instructions below using the navigation links on the left side of your store's interface.

Basic Mall Store Instructions:
Batch Orders, Export Orders to Flat File, Delete Batch, Delete Expired Shopping Baskets (See Note!), and Pack Data Files.

Detailed Mall Store Instructions: Click here to print the Mall Store Managers Monthly Maintenance Routine Instructions. (PDF)

1. In order to perform the following Monthly Maintenance Routine on your store, you must first login.
   
   
2. Batch your completed orders for the previous month. Do this by first clicking down the triangle next to your store's name followed by clicking down the triangle next to "Order Processing." Then click down the triangle next to "Un-batched Orders" to see your new orders. Make sure the credit cards for these new orders have been processed before you create a batch. All the order info will remain intact when you export orders to flat file (step outlined below) but the credit card numbers and expiration dates will be lost once you delete the batch.
   
   
3. Click "Create Batch" and name your orders batch. Name your batch anything you wish but we suggest an easy naming scheme like a date. (ie 11-6 to 11-14-02)
   
   
   
4. Click down the triangle next to "Export Data" and then click "Export Orders To Flat File". Select your batch name from the "Batch to Export" dropdown menu, leaving the default name set to "orders.dat", the "Delimiter" set to "tab", and the "If File Exists" button set to "Append To File". Then click "Export" on the main part of the window. NOTE: Each time you export an orders batch (leaving the "Append To File" button checked), your latest orders will be appended to your orders.dat file, keeping all your orders info in one spreadsheet file. Once you export your latest orders batch to flatfile, this file will be placed in a secure spot on the server for retreival by one of our admins and can be emailed to the store owner at any time by simply requesting your store's orders.dat file.
   
   
   
5. Under "Order Processing, click down the triangle next to your batch name and then click "Delete Batch".
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click down the triangle next to "Utilities", then click "Delete Shopping Baskets". On the right side of the window, choose "Delete: Expired" and "Recover Order Numbers: NO". Selecting to recover order numbers can corrupt your store's database and put your store's order numbers out of sequence. ALWAYS choose "NO" to "Recover Order Numbers" when deleting your Expired Shopping Baskets.
   
   
7. Finally, click "Pack Data Files". This is the final step in the maintenance proceedure and optimizes your store's database for speed and reliabilty. That's it!

Basic Domain Store Instructions:
Batch Orders, Export Orders to Flat File, Delete Batch, Delete Expired Shopping Baskets (See Note!), Pack Domain Data Files, and finally Pack Store Data Files.

Detailed Domain Store Instructions: Click here to print the Domain Store Managers Monthly Maintenance Routine Instructions. (PDF)

1. In order to perform the following Monthly Maintenance Routine on your store, you must first login to your stores admin. (i.e. YourDomain.com/Merchant2/admin.mvc - substituting your actual domain name for "YourDomain.com").
   
   
2. Batch your completed orders for the previous month. Do this by first clicking down the triangle next to your store's name followed by clicking down the triangle next to "Order Processing." Then click down the triangle next to "Un-batched Orders" to see your new orders. Make sure the credit cards for these new orders have been processed before you create a batch. All the order info will remain intact when you export orders to flat file (step outlined below) but the credit card numbers and expiration dates will be lost once you delete the batch.
   
   
3. Click "Create Batch" and name your orders batch. Name your batch anything you wish but we suggest an easy naming scheme like a date. (ie 11-6 to 11-14-02)
   
   
   
4. Click down the triangle next to "Export Data" and then click "Export Orders To Flat File". Select your batch name from the "Batch to Export" dropdown menu, the "Delimiter" set to "tab", and the "If File Exists" button set to "Append To File". Then click "Export" on the main part of the window. NOTE: Each time you export an orders batch (leaving the "Append To File" button checked), your latest orders will be appended to your current orders.dat file, keeping all your orders info in one spreadsheet file. If you do not wish to append your new batch to your current orders file, choose "Replace File" instead of "Append To File". Your store's orders.dat file can then be retreived via FTP.
   
   
   
5. Under "Order Processing, click down the triangle next to your batch name and then click "Delete Batch".
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click down the triangle next to "Utilities", then click "Delete Shopping Baskets". On the right side of the window, choose "Delete: Expired" and "Recover Order Numbers: NO". Selecting to recover order numbers can corrupt your store's database and put your store's order numbers out of sequence. ALWAYS choose "NO" to "Recover Order Numbers" when deleting your Expired Shopping Baskets.
   
   
7. Under your main controls, (NOT the one under "stores") click down the triangle next to "Utilities" and click "Pack Data Files".
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Under your store controls, (THE ONE UNDER "Stores", "Your Store", and "Utilities") click down the triangle next to "Utilities" and click "Pack Data Files".

If your store uses OpenUI, don't forget to pack the tables under OpenMaintanence.

This is the final step in the maintenance proceedure and optimizes your store's database for speed and reliabilty.