Before, the backup was saved in download with business name & date of backup. So, it was easy to keep track for choosing the required correct backup. Now, it is saved with just business name with no date.
Before, there was option to choose history, email, attachment. But, now no such option is available. Therefore, it is believed that the backup is forced with all all options which were optional before.
I wonder, if those changes has been done by @lubos which I may have missed.
I will appreciate if I can get to know if such changes in backup options was removed by the developer or is it a bug?
To add to this, at least for me, every time Manager is opened and a backup is performed it wants to save the backup in Downloads instead of remembering the last save location for backups. If Manager is left open it will remember the location until the next time Manager is closed.
Where did these options go? Are there any compelling reasons why these disappeared? Can these be turned back on? I actually found it helpful that you had this option.
I would like to join in on the request to have all these backup options reinstated if they were intentionally removed. I could write a huge case for having them restored and explain problems we had with other accounting packages in the past that did not have these options. Even the āexportā function has been removed. @lubos is there an explanation if not prepared to reinstate and this has been raised many times before
Iād like to add my voice to the Backup discussion.
The Backup folder is no longer remembered from session to session. This is a real pain.
Timestamp is now a tick box (not remembered) but only adds the date to the business name. It would be very helpful if it included the time as well: BizName (yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm).manager
@lubos Why was the Export feature removed? More importantly, will it be restored in the near future as it is the only way of duplicating business entities?
@lubos Would you please be kind enough as to provide a response to my question: Will the export option be added back into the software? And, if I may ask, why was it removed in the first place?
Mostly to make backup function work instantly. When you click Backup button now, the backup download starts immediately.
Putting History inside the business database was a mistake. It should have been always on the application level (not business level). I need to move History one level higher. This will resolve some performance issues Iām currently dealing with when people have a lot of data in Manager.
@lubos , apart from history, another item that can take up lot of space is attachment. Previously, we could exclude history as well aa attachment. Now, you said that back up button instantly starts downloading back up. I assume this backup will automatically include attachments too which can occupy lot of data. I think you should make backup with options to include/exclude attachments instead of forced backup download with attachments.
@sonicgroup attachments are also undergoing some changes. In cloud edition, they are already stored outside of the business file. Iām planning to do the same for other editions too.
Once they are stored outside the business file, then if you want to bundle attachments with business file, Manager will let you download zip file which will contain .manager file and attachment blobs.
You will be also able to backup attachments on its own and even cherry pick which ones (e.g. the ones added in the last month only) - this way you donāt have to keep download ever increasing blob of attachments over and over again.
@lubos Thanks for the reply. Without the export function, I can still ācloneā one business entity to a new entity by importing a backup of the original entity as a new entity; renaming that new entity; and then batch deleting anything not required. However, that leaves me with a history file in the new entity. Is there any way to delete this history file?
@lubos , Iām sorry if I couldnāt understand the end benefits of your planned changes by putting the history and attachments outside business. But, i feel, the previous arrangement of backup with options to exclude history and attachments was good enough to serve the purpose in the sense that we could still avoid importing ever increasing size by excluding the history and attachments from backup download.
I sincerely feel, as an end user, and may be thousands others too, that your planned changes of the previous version doesnāt seem to add any substantial benefits. With the flexibility to include/exclude attachments and history served the same purpose to avoid backup of ever increasing size what you are planning now. That said, I will strongly request you to revert to previous options of backup download. Please consider my suggestion seriously.The current forced download including history and attachments are really taking up lot of space if the download is done on occasional routine.
@lubos Very nice and thanks for the explanation. So we can expect a back-up possibility in the near future with variables to choose from. Glad to hear the old functionality will come back and new functionality will come. Do you have an ETA when this wil become available for Server and/or Desktop?
@lubos as a user, I think your idea of cherry pick of attachments (e.g. the ones added in the last month) is not useful in my perspective. I have a routine of downloading backup weekly and, keeping last 3 backup, I would delete the rest preceding back ups. I strongly believe this may be the practice by most other users too.
In this sense, every back up must be with all old attachments as well as new ones. So, @lubos your idea of adding only new one would not apply to a backup that needs comprehensive data from the beginning to the end. It is not about a back up once downloaded and updating it occasionally. I think Manager doesnāt have that option (provision). Once, we download backup, it must be from the start to end.
That said, i will strongly suggest to restore the previous model of back up with option to include/exclude history or attachments as per userās need.