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The Raw Data Export

If your database somehow becomes damaged while you are using it, you will be prompted to create a Raw Data export. You should do so, using the Raw Data Export function in the System module or, if you are working on the server, by launching the server application with the --rawdata parameter. The Raw Data option exports data in byte order, while the Database Text Backup option exports data in record order, on a register-by-register basis. When a database is damaged, the Raw Data option may create an export file where the Database Text Backup option fails.

If you need to revert to a back-up, you should do so in this order of priority:

  1. If you are using journaling, you should revert to the most recent undamaged copy of the database and apply the journal.

  2. If you are not using journaling, but you are regularly duplicating your database, you should revert to the most recent undamaged copy of the database and recreate the data entered since the duplicate was made.

  3. If you are not using journaling or database duplication, you should revert to the most recent text back-up of the database that does not contain any damage and recreate the data entered since the duplicate was made.
Please refer here for more details about reverting to a back-up.

Do not under any circumstances regard the file created by the Raw Data export as a means of successfully rebuilding your database. Restoration from a Raw Data file is extremely unlikely to produce a useable database. At the very best, use a Raw Data file as a reference to help recreate the data entered since the last successful back-up, as mentioned in points ii and iii above. Due to the method used to create the Raw Data file, and due to the fact that a Raw Data file will be created from a damaged database, it will not contain any user passwords, it is likely that many settings will be missing, it probably will not contain any user accounts, and many records may be missing or incomplete. For example, many records may be missing from the Contact or Transaction registers, and data may be missing from hidden fields in stock transactions, making it impossible to rebuild stock or obtain an accurate stock valuation.

If you need to create a test database from a Raw Data file for use as a reference, use the GUI application to follow these steps:

  1. Make sure the folder or directory containing your Standard ERP application does not contain a "HANSA.HDB" file and launch the application.

  2. When the 'Welcome to Standard ERP' window appears, click the [Master Database] or [Single User Database] button as appropriate. Follow the instructions on the Creating a New Database - Server or the Creating a New Database - Single-user pages respectively.

  3. Referring to the 'Single-user' section on the Changing and Adding Companies page, create all the Companies as they were in the damaged database (in particular, the Codes must be the same as they were in the damaged database).

  4. Create all Fiscal Years exactly as they were in the damaged database (in every Company).

  5. In every Company, configure the Company Date and Numeric Format setting in the System module as follows:
    Date Order
    Month, Day, Year

    All three check boxes
    ticked

    Date separator
    / or -

    Decimal separator
    . (a single full stop, not a comma)

    Thousand separator
    space (one single space)
  6. Ensure you are in the System module and use the Ctrl-Shift-I/⌘-Shift-I keyboard shortcut to open the 'Imports' window. Choose one of the options depending on where the Raw Data file is located and import it.

    If the Raw Data file is large, you may prefer to use the command line (Linux or Mac OS X) or service (Windows) application for this step, as the speed benefit will be significant.

  7. Even if the Raw Data file is imported successfully, the database will not be useable because no indexes will be created. Therefore, you must immediately create a Database Text Backup and import that file to a new database. This will ensure the data is properly indexed. Again, you may prefer to use the command line (Linux or Mac OS X) or service (Windows) application to import the file.

  8. As mentioned in the introduction to this section, restoration from a Raw Data file will usually result in an incomplete database. You should only regard it as a test database that will help you with the process of re-entering information to the new "live" database. You may be able to do this by exporting from the test database using the relevant Export routine in the Integration module. The Transaction Registers Export will be particularly useful, as it allows you to export a specified range of records from every Sub System. If there is no suitable Export routine for the information that is missing from the new "live" database, use the test system as a guide enter the data manually to the new "live" database.

!

Never build a "live" database from a Raw Data file!

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