Exporting the database Gestan

The database export programme allows you to:

• use Gestan on another storage device, such as a USB stick or an external hard drive. In this case, the database will not be compressed, and all the files required to run Gestan on the external storage device will also be exported.
• to create a backup of the database at a specific point in time. The database will then be compressed into a ZIP file and can be imported at a later date, provided that the version of the programme at the time of import is identical to the version of the data.

This programme is only available for self-hosted versions of Gestan. For Cloud versions, use the Zip the base compression programme. ===== Using the ‘ =====’ screen

Access: Tools → Administration → Export database Gestan.

The source directory is the directory of the database you are currently connected to, in which the data to be exported is stored.

The To directory is the directory to which you wish to export the data from the source directory.

You can export:

• the data directory (the one containing the .fic, .mmo and .ndx files)
• the linked documents directory (the one containing the files linked to contacts)

You must select at least one of these two options.

Gestan can operate in fully standalone (portable) mode, allowing you to carry all your production data on a simple USB stick or external hard drive, which you can run on any computer without leaving any trace of data on the host computer.

Provided the USB stick or external hard drive is of good quality, response times will be identical to those during normal operation.

The export programme installs all the files required for ‘portable application’ mode onto the external storage device:

• the programme files (including gestan.exe) and the necessary dynamic libraries (wll)
• the data managed by Gestan (DATABASE),
• the files in the RESOURCES directory
• and any external files in the DOCUMENTS folder

If the Minimal is ticked, the dynamic libraries will not be copied, nor will the RESSOURCES directory: you can tick this box if your external storage medium already contains these files (if you have previously carried out a ‘non-minimal’ export, they will be there), as this reduces the export time.

The No settings allows you to omit general settings and user settings from the export. This means you do not have to change the settings you have configured on your USB stick (for example, you carry out an initial export. Then, when using the programme from the USB stick, you untick the options to display the to-do list and the timer. When you perform a second export to the same folder, if this box is ticked, your settings will be retained and you won’t have to set them up again.)

This export generates a compressed ‘zip’ archive for the purpose of archiving your data.

You can use this function to keep a ‘snapshot’ of your database at a given point in time. It is not ideal for regular backups: as production data changes daily, it must be backed up daily; we strongly recommend that you automate your backups (see backup Gestan ).

📍 Do not change the names of the zipped export archives! This is because Gestan will use this archive name to check the data version when importing.

ℹ️ Other “Tools” articles