Save and Restore SWISSLOG Database


Experienced PC users will recognize the fact that it is very important to save your files regularly. We never know what kind of bizarre situation might occur, it might be an equipment problem such as the hard disk failing, or in today's environment it could be computer virus, or you might accidentally erase or overwrite a critical file. In any case, most of us have experienced this type of failure at one time or another and the thought of loosing your entire Log database is not pleasant. Therefore, SWISSLOG has a special function to save and restore your Log databases.

Beside your log databases which contain the record of your QSO's, you may also want to save the Queries and Reports you created as well as input files for Info Tables you created or have updated. There is no special function in SWISSLOG to save these kind of files – just use the file copy functions you normally use to save these files. You will find these files in the directories:

In addition to the files mentioned above, it is also a good idea to keep a up-to-date copy of the Swisslog.ini file which is located in the main Swisslog directory. The Swisslog.ini file contains most of the program configuration settings and while it would not be impossible to reconstruct if lost, having a back-up copy makes reinstalling the program much easier. Keep in mind, this file changes each time you make a modification to the Swisslog operating environment, for instance the details defining the size and position of the windows displayed in Swisslog are stored in this file – so, if you make changes to the operating environment, you might consider updating your back-up file.

Important Hint: While it is a good idea to have a back-up copy of all your files on your hard disk, it's also good practice to have a second or third copy stored on another media, such as a USB Pendrive, CD, or even better a Cloud Storage such as Dropbox, Mega, etc use whichever method and media you feel most comfortable with. However, keep in mind that in over very long periods of time, magnetic and even digital media may not be readable and storage formats can become obsolete so, keep your back-up copies current!
 

Save the SWISSLOG Database

To save your Log database select:

File ¦ Save... from the main menu

The following dialog window is displayed:

The database that is currently open is automatically selected for saving and the name of the file to be saved is automatically suggested – the suggested name contains the date. SWISSLOG also keeps a list of your saved Log database versions and you can add a comment which is stored in the list.

Database section of the window:

Backup-File section of the window: 

Hint: If you use DropBox, Mega or any other Cloud Storage, it's a good idea to set here the shared folder used from these services. These services normally offer Synchronization software to automatically synchronize with the Cloud the selected shared folders in your hard disk. Apart from the backup file It's a very good idea to use the shared folder as default location for your Swisslog database!

The New file name button generates a new unique file name.

Press the Save button to start the save process. When the process is completed a dialog window will advise you that the file was successfully saved, press the OK button and then press the Close button.

The saved files are automatically compressed and administered by SWISSLOG. The saved files can be easily restored with SWISSLOG using the Restore function.

Restore the SWISSLOG Database

To restore your Log Database select:

File ¦ Restore... from the main menu.

The following dialog window is displayed:



Review the list of Managed Backup Files in the top window and select the file you want to restore. Press the Restore button to start this function. If you are restoring from diskettes watch the Backup-File window, "Segment change xxxxx.001" will appear which tells you the number of diskette to insert.

It is also possible to restore files which are not 'managed' by SWISSLOG. Just enter the file name of the file saved or locate it by using the Search button.

Hint: Do not forget to select "segmented" if it is a segmented file!

Managed Backup Files
section of the window:

This is a list of the backup files managed by SWISSLOG – select the one you want to restore.

Target Database section of the window:

Important Note: Be absolutely sure you do not overwrite an existing database with old data! If you overwrite your current database with old data you will not be able to recover the current data unless you have another backup copy.
 

This is one area where you can get into serious trouble, therefore it is extremely important that you use caution and be very sure you understand exactly what you are about to do. It is recommended that you save the existing database to a suitable backup before you overwrite it with a Saved database. It's always better to have too many backups than not enough...

Backup-File section of the window:

Press the Restore button to start the restore process. When the process is completed a dialog window will advise you that the file was successfully restored, press the OK button and then press the Close button.


Copyright © 2004 SWISSLOG
Last modified: 06 ago. 2017