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Backing Up Your Observing Log

Knightware recommends that you backup your observing log and user data periodically and before applying a software update to Deep-Sky Planner. You should also compact your database periodically (File | Compact Database) to improve program performance and minimize the amount of disk space required by the database.

Why backup?

Deep-Sky Planner uses a database to store catalog data and user data - both your observing log and observing locations. When you make changes to locations using the Location Manager, or add equipment and/or observations to the observing log, you are changing the database. Although Deep-Sky Planner has extensive error handling and transaction control in its handling of the database, problems can occur resulting in a corrupted file. Keeping a backup is a safeguard against losing this data.

The best way to back up your observing log and user options is to use File | Backup to save your data to an external storage device - perhaps an external hard drive, flash drive or cloud storage. You can use File | Restore to extract the data and copy it into your database, either on the same computer from which it came or another.