Search this site

Support

Select Language

Backups

Introduction to Backups

You can request a backup of all of your data in ProofHQ using the Backup function. (Backups are currently free for all plans!)
 
The Backup is delivered to you as a zip file. It includes an XML export of all of your data (including comments and responses for all versions of all proofs), but does NOT include the original files that you uploaded as proofs.
 
Each backup zip file created for you to download has a unique file name, such as 9789_05_05_2011_61703.zip. In this example:
    • 9789 is your ProofHQ account identifier
    • 05_05_2011 is the creation date, 5 May 2011
    • 61703 is a random system-assigned number
This naming convention makes it easy for you to store all of your backup zip files in a single location on your computer and to know exactly when each backup was created for you.  

Free up storage

The Backup function lets you decide how to use your resources:
  • If you want to free up some storage space but don't want to lose your active or archived proofs altogether, you can request a backup, delete the proofs, and then empty the Trash
  • If you need any files that you originally uploaded to ProofHQ, you can download them using the download original file function before deleting the proofs

Back up your ProofHQ data

To back up your ProofHQ data:

  1. Select Account Settings from the Sidebar
  2. Go to the Backup tab
  3. Click the Request new backup link
    NB: If no users in your account have requested any backups yet, the Backup tab indicates that you have no backups. If a user has requested a backup, the tab displays the creation date and download link for the last backup.
  4. Your data will be ready to download as a zip file the same day you request it. When the backup is ready, you can download the backup zip file in one of two ways:
    • By clicking the download link in the email you receive from ProofHQ with the subject line "Your ProofHQ backup is ready"
    • By clicking the download link in the Account Settings Backup tab
 
 
 
 
 
NB: Leave the Data encoding type set to UTF-8 (the default). This is the encoding type most commonly used by Internet applications.  
 
 
NB: You can request only ONE backup at a time. When your backup zip file is being processed, the Request new backup link on the Backup tab does not appear, and the message in the last line of the Backup page remains unchanged. When your backup zip file is ready to download, the following occurs:
  • You receive an email from ProofHQ with a download link
  • The Account Settings Backup tab also displays a download link
  • The Request new backup link reappears on the Backup tab

Download your backup zip file from the ProofHQ email

When your backup zip file is ready to download, you'll receive an email from ProofHQ with the subject line 'Your ProofHQ backup is ready.'
 
To download the backup zip file from the ProofHQ email:
  1. Click the download link in the email
  2. If you are not currently logged in to ProofHQ, your browser will open a window displaying the login page. Log in to your account.
  3. A File Download window will appear asking if you want to Open or Save the download file. Click Save
  4. Select the location on your computer where you want to save the backup zip file - for example, your 'My Documents' folder
 

Download your backup zip file from the Account Settings Backup tab

When your backup zip file is ready to download, the Backup tab indicates this by displaying a download link. In addition, the Request new backup link appears again. 
  1. Select Account Settings from the Sidebar
  2. Go to the Backup tab
  3. Click the Download backup link
  4. A File Download screen will appear asking if you want to Open or Save the download file. Click Save.
  5. Select the location on your computer where you want to save the backup zip file - for example, your 'My Documents' folder
 
 
NB: The message identifying the date of your most recent backup remains displayed at the bottom of the Backup page until the next time you request a backup. The Download backup link applies to that last backup. Whenvever the Request new backup link is displayed, you can click it to request another backup.
 

The files in your backup zip file

Your backup zip file contains seven CSV (comma-separated value or comma delimited) files that include information from your active and archived proofs up to the time your data was backed up:
  • comments.csv - includes comments on proofs
  • comment_replies.csv - includes responses to comments on proofs
  • organisation.csv - includes numeric identifier and name of your organisation (your account)
  • contacts.csv - includes numeric identifier, name, and organisation for each contact
  • files.csv - includes information from the Proof Details page or the File Details page on proofs or files uploaded to ProofHQ
  • recipients.csv - includes numeric identifier, role, and decisions of each person specified as a reviewer, reviewer and approver, etc., when proofs are uploaded for review on ProofHQ
  • users.csv - includes numeric identifiers and names of all users in the account
You can extract these files from the backup zip file with whatever zip utility you use and store them where you want on your computer. Once you have saved the zip file and extracted the individual CSV files, you can manipulate the information as you please for your internal record keeping.
 
Note: Each backup zip file created at your request has a distinctive name that includes the backup creation date, but the CSV files included in each backup zip file always have the same names. You might want to use one of the following methods to ensure your backup files are distinct from each other:
  • Create a new directory for each backup zip file and the CSV files you exract from it, OR
  • Rename each CSV file to include the backup date when you extract it from the zip file
 
 
 
NB: If you have Microsoft Excel on your computer, your extract utility might list the file type for the individual CSV files as Microsoft Office Excel Comma Separated Values File. You can open an extracted CSV file using Excel and save the file as an Excel workbook (*.xlsx) or some other file type.
  

Save a CSV backup file as an Excel workbook

If you have Microsoft Excel on your computer, you can use Excel to open one of the CSV backup files that you have extracted from the backup zip file. You can then save the CSV file as an Excel workbook (*.xlsx - for example, comments.xlsx).
 
To save a CSV file from your backup zip file as an Excel workbook:
  1. Select the CSV file from your computer and open it in Excel.
  2. Go to Save As:
    Click the Office button, select Save As, and select Excel Workbook, OR
    Select Save As from the File menu if you have an earlier version of Excel.
  3. A Save As screen will appear with your CSV file shown as an Excel workbook (*.xlsx) file type.
    Note: You might need to select the Excel workbook file type from a list of possible file types.
  4. Click Save to save the file in Excel workbook format.
NB: If you select Save in step 2 instead of Save As, Excel displays a compatibility message. To save the CSV file as an Excel file, click No below the message and then click Save on the Save As screen.