How backups work in Base by Zaweba, and where to find them

Every database will one day have a bad afternoon. An update query with a missing condition, a delete that went further than meant, a file copied over the wrong one. None of those matters much if you have a recent copy. Base by Zaweba makes backups without being asked, and makes it easy to take one yourself before anything risky.

All of them go into one place, the Backups folder under Documents\Base by Zaweba, so you always know where to look.

The automatic copies

When you open a database, Base makes a copy of it, once a day. It keeps the latest ten of these and clears out older ones, so the folder doesn't fill your disk. For a database you open every working day, that means the last ten days you worked on it are always covered.

Base also takes a copy before it updates an older file to the current format. If a database made with an earlier version needs moving up, the file as it was is saved first, so nothing about the update can cost you your data.

Automatic backups can be turned on or off in the start-up options in the Database menu. Leave them on unless you have a very good reason.

Backing up on demand

File > Back up now makes a copy straight away. Use it before anything you might regret: running an action query on many records, importing a large file, changing field types, or trying a new script. It takes a moment and gives you a way back.

It is also worth a manual backup at natural milestones, such as the end of a year, before handing the file to someone else, or after a long session of data entry.

Finding a copy when you need one

File > Backup copies lists the copies Base has made and opens their folder. Each is a complete database, so you can open one in Base to look at it, or copy one back over the damaged file to restore it. Close the database before replacing its file.

If you only need a few records back, there is no need to replace everything. Open the backup, export the lost records to CSV, then import them into your current file.

Backups beyond the PC

Base's copies live on the same PC as the database. That protects you from your own mistakes, but not from a failed disk or a lost laptop. Because each database is a single .obase file, it is easy to copy to a USB stick, another drive or a cloud folder you already use. Do that regularly for anything you can't afford to lose.

A database for a club or business should have at least one copy that lives somewhere else. Agree who looks after it and how often, and write it down.

Good habits

Take a backup before big changes. Check now and then that the Backups folder holds recent copies. Open one occasionally to make sure it works. And when Database > Compact and repair runs, it makes its own copy first, so even routine tidying is covered.

A backup you never need is not wasted. It is the reason a bad afternoon stays a small one.