Backup Your Data With DejaOffice

DejaOffice now automatically creates a backup of your data for you – every time you sync!

The latest release of DejaOffice for Android (1.12.3) introduced a great new feature that’s somewhat hidden behind the scenes: automatic backup. Every time you sync your data, DejaOffice automatically creates a backup first. Since this feature has the potential to be quite useful, I wanted to be sure to highlight it here.

With automatic backups, if you accidentally delete a contact, or if your database were to somehow become corrupted, you can rest assured you have a backup to restore from. And DejaOffice keeps the 3 more recent backups, so even if you don’t notice an issue right away, you’re still safe.

To restore from a backup, just follow the instructions below:

  1. Ensure CompanionLink is not running on your PC.
  2. Connect your Android device to your PC and mount it in “mass storage mode”
  3. Open the “Computer” or “My Computer” folder on your PC, then select your device’s SD card/removable drive from the list.
  4. Browse to the “\clusb\backup” folder.
  5. In this folder, you will see a file named “companionlink<date>.db” (e.g. companionlink2011-11-04.db). This is a backup of your database prior to your most recent synchronization.
  6. Rename this file to “companionlink.db”
  7. Copy the file to the “\clusb” folder. Choose to replace the existing companionlink.db file if prompted.
  8. That’s it – your data is then restored to the date of that backup.

1: Select your SD card

5. Locate your backups

If you have any questions or feedback about our new backup feature, let us know in the comments below!

Hate Duplicates? We Do Too.

Image Credit: Jeff Evora

Duplicates. Perhaps the most despised sync issue that could arise. There are few things as annoying and damaging to your productivity as seeing 5 copies of your data.

At CompanionLink, we have worked hard to eliminate data duplication. With over 15 years in the business, we’ve learned a lot. But even the best sync solutions are prone to error. This is due to the fact that they must rely on a computer to make the final decision. The computer simply cannot know if the “John Smith” with just an email is the same as the “John Smith” with just a phone number.

In our own software, we’ve learned that if a user experiences data duplication, it is almost always a result of an incomplete setup. To that end, we have created a resource that quickly informs you how to achieve a proper sync setup. Head over to our Sync 101 page for the 3 easy steps that will help you avoid data duplication and save your productivity (and sanity!).

How To Keep Your Personal Data Separated From Your Work Life

The short answer is this: Categories.

Creating a category called “Personal” allows you to keep your home life organized in its own section of your database. Your complete database is on your device, but it’s easily sorted so that you only see the data that is relevant to your current situation.

Unfortunately, not all devices have category functionality, and those that do are often limited. To remedy this, DejaOffice allows you to create and manage categories, as well as assign colors to them to further differentiate your data.  This exponentially boosts productivity, especially once you begin to use colors to cue yourself for the urgency or types of tasks.  Red means must-do and urgent.  Yellow means phone calls.  Orange means it’s not the end of the world if you miss this appointment or meeting.  And so on.  At a glance, you will be able to know how many urgent meetings, calls, etc., you have on any given day.

Taking this a step further, you can then use CompanionLink’s sync software to sync your phone to your PC. CompanionLink gives you the option to ignore your personal contacts during sync. This allows you to keep your work data up to date in programs like Outlook, ACT, and more without mixing in personal data on a work computer.

So, with a little help from DejaOffice and CompanionLink, you’ll be down to just one phone all while keeping your work data synced and personal data separated!