Data Recovery

There can be times when data is lost due to a program crash or a power failure at a time before you had a chance to save the model. DesignBuilder keeps track of the model in its various stages using 3 different mechanisms:

An optional incremental backup system where the current working file is automatically saved to the Backup folder every 10 minutes (by default). These files have names such as My File Autosave 18_01_2012_14_05_50.dsb. In this example the original file was called My File.dsb and the backup was made at 14:05:50 on 18 January 2012.
When opening an existing file the original file is copied to the backup folder. In this case the file is called something like My File Archive 18_01_2012_13_49_01.dsb. In this example the original file was called My File.dsb and the file was opened and copied at 13:49:01 on 18 January 2012.
If for any reason DesignBuilder does not close down cleanly and is unable to save data, an skh backup file will remain in the same folder as the dsb file and DesignBuilder will ask whether you want to recover this data the next time you open the dsb file. The skh file will have the same name as the original dsb file but will have a ~ character prepended. e.g. ~My File.skh.

Files in the Backup folder are stored for up to 30 days before being automatically deleted.

To recover data you should check the files in the Backup folder and find possible candidates based on the filename and time of saving. Then copy the files you would like to check up to the DesignBuilder Data folder and open them in DesignBuilder to find the most complete data set.