Restore Information

Restoring Database Files

Database files can become corrupted for several reasons, running out of drive space accidentally, a glitch in the download connection, power outage, hard drive bad sector etc. If you have discovered a problem with a database file, or a group of files you can restore them to an earlier point. However, this should only be done as a last resort and after contacting Portara support staff for advice. Usually Portara will have you run a database integrity check if you have not done so already: (Help | Database Integrity Checker). The results of the checker will determine if you need to restore files from your backup. Backups (if you have been using the facility) are generally located in timestamp order at this location: C:\Portara Data\Futures\Database Backup\
if you have moved the location then look there. In general restore is a manual process that involves copying from your backup location to your live location. Your live location is generally here: C:\Portara Data\Futures\Actual Contracts unless you have chosen somewhere different.

  • Using the results of the Database Integrity Check copy any files that are named from the backup location to the same location in the live database.
  • Rerun the Database Integrity Checker to see whether the issue has been resolved. This can take time so consider using the alphabetical selectors if the issue is contained to one area.
  • If all is clear you need to rerun your updates from a date PRIOR to the timestamp of your backup
  • Open the Update Manager and set the first date back to the day before the timestamp of the backup… The second date should be left to today’s date. Update your data
  • Check to see if the issue has been resolved

Restoring Index Files

There are TWO Index files one for each database. The daily index file is located here: C:\Portara Data\Futures\Actual Contracts\Daily\DailyIndex.info and the intraday index file is located here: C:\Portara Data\Futures\Actual Contracts\1 Minute\OneMinIndex.info. If you believe these files to be corrupted you can restore these files by copying them from the backup to the live location in the same manner as above.
As an alternative, you can also recreate these files if you wish by Using the Indexer (Tools | Force A Database Index). If you leave everything on default and click begin, both files will be recreated. NOTE: For large databases this can take time. DO NOT index your database if you know the database is still corrupt. Only index if the corrupt file(s) have been resolved. 
If you have restored the index files from a backup, Portara will update them naturally when you run the Update Manager.

Restoring Settings Files

Restoring settings files can be trickier. It depends on what is broken to give accurate restoration details. It is advisable to speak to Portara technical staff in order to help restore your settings. However, if you do know what the issue is then the details are as follows. Your live settings are stored here: C:\Program Files\Portara\Portara Charts. You can select files from the backup and overwrite files in your live area. Remember any changes that you have made prior to the last backup will not be accessible.

Restoring from Other Locations (prior versions)

Each time Portara prompts you to install a new version, as a precaution a silent backup is performed of your settings and is saved in timestamped directories here: C:\Program Files\Portara Backup. Portara cannot guarantee completely that files from a prior version are compatible with the current version but it adds an extra layer of security in case the new version has a problem that has corrupted one of your user settings. Please speak with Portara if you are considering restoring files from this area to your live locations.