Backing up repair shop data when the system lives in your shop

Follow 3-2-1

Keep three copies on two kinds of storage, with one copy outside the shop. In practice, that means the shop PC, an external drive kept at the shop, and a second drive or storage account that the owner controls.

Back up the virtual machine

RepairAmigo runs inside a VirtualBox virtual machine, so backing up the VM backs up tickets, customers, prices, inventory, and cash counts together. Shut the VM down first, then either use File → Export Appliance or copy the VM's folder to the external drive. Put the date in the file name. Never copy while the VM is running.

Export data from inside RepairAmigo

RepairAmigo also has a built-in export. Sign in as the Owner and go to Main menu → MANAGEMENT → OWNER ONLY → EXPORT DATA; the Owner password is asked again when you download. You can download the whole database as SQL, one CSV file per table for Excel, or a full package (database, user icons and a manifest) locked with a passphrase you choose. The SQL and CSV files leave out password hashes and Twilio credentials; the full package keeps them so users can still sign in after a move. Keep the passphrase safe: without it the package cannot be opened. IMPORT DATA in the same menu loads a package back and takes a safety backup automatically before each import. Use the export as an extra copy; the VM backup above copies the whole system.

Schedule and ownership

Back up daily after the end-of-day cash count, take a copy off-site weekly, and make a backup before any big change. Keep older copies too. The Owner or Manager owns the task and signs a log sheet.

Test monthly

Import the latest backup on another computer, open three recent tickets, check prices and inventory, then delete the test copy.

Backups hold customer data, so lock them up. See customer data privacy during repairs. RepairAmigo is free: download it.