Back up PLA 3.0

Find details on which PLA 3.0 components to include in your backup strategy. Learn what each component stores and why it is important to back it up for maintaining your environment.

Note:
Make sure you regularly back up your PLA 3.0 data. Use a backup medium or a location that is included in your organization's backup routine. If you are unsure about your backup environment, contact your system administrator.

Databases

Included in backup: Recommended

PLA 3.0 databases store all your data and also hold information such as user accounts, rights and permissions, signatures, and audit trail information. When logging in to PLA 3.0, users connect to a specific database, which sets their work environment for the session.

Include all PLA 3.0 databases in your backup to ensure complete system restoration. For details on the backup steps, see the Back up your database topic.

Important:
We recommend storing your database credentials in a secure location. You need them to manage the database and user accounts. We cannot recover your credentials because we do not have access to them.

File-based application data

Included in backup: Recommended

File-based application data includes files that PLA 3.0 stores outside the database. These files define how PLA 3.0 interacts with your environment and installed components.

Identify and back up the relevant directories and files to preserve system configuration and configured functionality. For details on default file locations, see the File paths topic.

Make sure you back up at least the following data:

  • Properties files of your Data Acquisition Modules

    Properties files hold configuration profile-related settings of a Data Acquisition Module and restrictions regarding the configuration and selection of configuration profiles.

Optionally, you can also include the following data in your backup:

  • Database connection profiles

  • Add-on repository

Note:
Although PLA 3.0 can recreate some of this data, backing it up ensures that you can quickly restore your environment without reconfiguration.

For details about the backup steps, see the Back up your file-based application data topic.

Software

Included in backup: Optional

You do not need to back up the PLA 3.0 software itself. You can reinstall it anytime you require, using the setup files available in our Download Center. For details on the download steps, see the Download the setup files topic.

License system and license

Included in backup: Optional

The PLA 3.0 license system is a separate executable that you can back up. For the default location, see the File paths topic. However, you cannot back up the license itself, as it is tied to the specific computer on which you activated the license.

Important:
If you plan to reinstall, replace, or retire this computer, you need to transfer the license to another computer before making any changes. Otherwise, the license may becomes invalid. For details on the required steps, see the Transfer your license topic.