Issue

Sometimes things happen to our computers that we do not expect, and we lose data. The first thing we do is panic, then we start trying to figure out what happened and how to recover. We'd like to help you avoid any undue stress and prepare for life's little hiccups.

Discussion

There are a several reasons why you could experience data loss:

• Deletion (by an inexperienced or untrained user) or moved to a new location
• Malware (including Spyware, Ransomware, and Viruses)
• Sabotage or theft by an employee
• Power outages, brownouts, and spikes
• Local or network hard disk (storage) failure
• Network or server outages
• Fire, flood, or other random Acts of Nature
• Good old-fashioned user error

Data loss typically results in a very real loss of time (man hours) and a loss of money (bids, or wages) so it is important to have a "Recovery Plan" (Plan) in place for recovering your data. The typical Recovery Plan involves knowing where your data is stored currently, how it is backed up/secured, and what process to follow to restore that data in the event its lost. Once you've developed your Plan, you need to communicate this to all users so that when data loss occurs, you can recover quickly and minimize 'downtime'. Whoever acts as your company's 'IT Administrator' needs to get to know On Center's software by reading User Manual, reviewing the training resources, and possibly attending a training session or two. Knowing how the software works, where it stores its data, and how it backups up that data, can help you implement your own Disaster Recovery Plan.

What types of data can you lose?

There are only three types of data that the typical Users (Estimators, Project Managers) and their IT Administrators, or 3rd Party IT Consultants would need to worry about when working with On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, and Digital Production Control:

• Takeoff Data created via On-Screen Takeoff. Each Bid/Project is stored in a Database. Databases can either be stored locally as an Access Database, or stored on a SQL Server accessible via the user's network.
• Plan Data such as the Project Plans, or drawings are individual image files (PDFs, TIFF, DWG, files) are stored either on the users local hard drive, or in some cases on a network share drive accessible via the user's network.
• Estimate Data, such as the Project Estimation data created in Quick Bid as stored in the users Database. In Quick Bid this would be Interactive Projects, Master Table Items, Wages Data, eQuotes, and Supplier Info.

What should you do when you discover data is missing?

STOP!

It is vital that you stop doing whatever you are currently doing to make sure the data can be recovered. Don't close the program(s), don't panic and start clicking around. One wrong move can cause unrecoverable data loss when working with computers. There is a certain point in the recovery of data when making changes can erase data that could still be recovered.

Clear Filters and turn on Layers

If you are missing Bids from the Bids Tab, make sure all your filter fields are cleared.

If you are missing takeoff on the Image Tab, make sure all your Layers are turned on.

Ask for Help

Contact Support and your IT Department immediately.

Look for Backups

Determine whether you have back-ups available to restore from.

If you need to restore from a Databases, you would check your Access Database back-up settings. If you discover the back-up settings allow for you to restore the file from a previous day, then if the file is local to you, you can recover the project you were working with and copy it into your current database using File | Open Database. If the file you need is stored on the network, then you would do the exact same thing. If you do not have access to the backup files, then you would contact your IT Administrator to restore the file from their local storage, or cloud back-up.

If you need to restore a specific Plan-sets images, then you should re-download the plans from the Architect, Planroom, or Email from whence you downloaded the files and reconvert them to TIFF to re-link to your project.

Alternatively, you can also have your IT Administrator restore the moved or missing files from their local or off-site backups.

More Information

If you have determined that the loss was due to hard drive failure, don't panic! Just because a hard disk is failing due to mechanical problems does not mean the data cannot be recovered, there are services out there than can take a broken or damaged hard drive and restore data as long as the disk itself is not damaged. Typically the drive heads or controllers will fail without any major damage to the disk. This means they can be transplanted to another drive by a Data Recovery team.

Who do I contact in the case that I lose Takeoff or Plan Data?

In most scenarios, the first person you should contact when experiencing a loss of data is your IT Administrator. This is standard practice in the world of 'Disaster Recovery' as your IT Administrator is responsible for maintaining your back-ups. You are responsible for notifying your IT recovery team if you have a bid due. You will need to relay to your IT Administrator exactly when you noticed the data was lost, and what specific data needs to be restored. Once a bid or estimate is recovered, it is a good idea to document that the loss of data occurred in your Project Notes. On Center Software is not responsible for backing up, maintaining, or restoring your data We are providing this information as a courtesy - your computer is your property and all data stored on it is your responsibility to safeguard. Our programs include database backup functions for default (Access) databases, but that may not be sufficient to adequately safeguard your data in the event of a system failure or virus. If you call, or email our Technical Support about data loss, we will create a case to follow up on your request; but please do not wait on us. We do not store, maintain, or manage your data. Recovery is your responsibility. Worst case scenario, we may not be able to reach you within your required time frame when we are busy handling other calls, closed, or on holidays. This may not be soon enough for most time sensitive data recovery situations. Your companies Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) should take this into account and you should plan accordingly.

If you or your IT Staff need more information, or suggestions on what to do next, or you have forgotten how to open, or configure your local Access database back-ups, you can contact Technical Support and we will point you in the right direction. On Center Software Support staff are available Sunday 6:00 p.m. (CST) through Friday 10:00 p.m. to assist you with any questions, or concerns. Please refer to the FAQ below for details on the many ways data can be backed-up:

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