Should I make a backup copy of my tool?
We recommend that you use the USB device that you have been provided as your master database so that you can update your tool whenever and wherever you are. However, as with all digital files, you will want to keep a backup copy of the tool and/or database in another secure electronic location (such as a desktop computer or another mobile device).
How do I make a backup copy of my tool?
There are three options available for you to back up your files.
- Click on the Database Backup page in the Printing & Sharing section of the tool.
- Use the “Create a Full Database & Recovery File” option to create a fill backup of your database and password recovery files. Specify a personal file name for your backup database and password recovery files.
- Use the “Create Read-Only Database” option to create an un-editable copy of your database to share with your care companions. Specify a personal file name for your backup database. Specify a password for this read-only copy.
- Only use the “Create Backup for MDD Support” option at the direction of a member of the MDD support team.
- You can create a backup copy of your database file by copying both the “mydatadiary” and “mydatadiaryRecovery” files from the Data folder on your USB storage device to a secure location on another computer or storage device. Using this method, you will not be able to open these files without first copying them to the Data folder on a device loaded with the My Data Diary+ software.
- To create a full backup of your My Data Diary+ software and database, you can copy the entire contents of your My Data Diary+ USB device to a folder on another computer or storage device. (This may take up to 60 minutes.) You can open your database from this backup location the same way you open the database on the USB drive. It is recommended that you include the word “Backup” and the date of the backup copy in the name of the folder so that you don’t accidentally update this backup copy instead of the primary version of the tool where updates should be made.
Can I manage more than one database on the same My Data Diary+ USB drive?
If you have purchased more than one My Data Diary+ tool for different family members or households, you can store, manage, and / or view databases for multiple households on the same My Data Diary+ device. To manage multiple databases on the same device, you will need to customize the names of the two files stored in the Data folder on your My Data Diary+ devices. The standard naming for the files in the Data folder is displayed below.
Customize the names of the two files in the Data folder in each device by adding a value at the beginning of each file that is exactly the same for both files as indicated below. Be sure to use different custom names for the two different data sets.
Copy the two files from the Data folder on your second device into the Data folder on your first device (and vice versa if you like).
You may want to include the word “Copy” or “Backup” in the name of the database that has been copied for reference only and is not intended to be used for primary data entry and content management.
When you have more than one database and recovery file saved in your Data Folder, the tool will prompt you to select the database you want to access when you launch the software:
To open a specific database, select the Database you want to view, enter the password for that database, and click “Login”.
I received a Specialty version of the My Data Diary+ tool from my Professional Advisor / Service Provider. Can I upgrade the tool that I received to unlock the Premium version?
Yes. You can upgrade to the Premium version of the My Data Diary+ tool to enable all of the content and capabilities available in the Premium version of the tool. Go to https://mydatadiary.com/. Purchase the upgrade you desire. Following your upgrade purchase, you will receive a software “Key” by email that you can use to access the Premium version of the My Data Diary+ tool. Return to the License Management page of the Administration section of your My Data Diary+ tool. Click on the “Add License” button in the “Licenses” section of the page and enter the software key that was emailed to you at the email address you provided when you purchased the upgrade to the Premium version.
Please contact support@mycarecompanions.com if you have any problems with your upgrade.
How do I update my My Data Diary+ Software?
Updating your My Data Diary+ tool will allow you to benefit from new features and bug fixes that are released in the future without losing the information and documents you have entered into your database. The standard update process can be found in the License Management page of the Administration section.
NOTE: The upgrade process only retrieves data from the My Data Diary web servers. It will not upload your data to the internet.
Follow the below instructions to update your version:
- Click on Administration.
- Click on License Management.
- Click the “Check Latest Version” button
- If there is a new version available:
- To upgrade the Windows version, click on “Upgrade to latest Windows version” button. To upgrade the Mac version, click on “Upgrade to latest Mac version” button. (Only one upgrade can be in progress at a time.)
- You will be prompted to select a location to create a backup of your database. This location should be a location on your computer somewhere other than your My Data Diary+ USB drive. New versions will make changes to the software but should not change any of your existing data (unless otherwise noted in the release notes on our website).
- The upgrade process will begin and its progress will be shown. The upgrade could take as long as 60 minutes.
- If the “Latest Version” matches the current version of your software, no upgrade buttons will appear.
Can I combine data from separate My Data Diary+ tools into one database / tool?
This feature is not yet available. Please contact support@mycarecompanions.com for more information on the status of this feature.
Can I export a portion of the data from my My Data Diary+ tool into another copy of the tool for independent use?
This feature is not yet available. Please contact support@mycarecompanions.com for more information on the status of this feature.