Restoring notes/history from deleted users

[dbast]

Someone in the office here decided to 'clean up' our database by deleting users no longer with the company, and re-assigning their notes/history to other people. Big no-no. So now I'm trying to figure out if I can get the old information back.

I have a backup. What I need to do, perhaps, is figure out a way to export only NEW notes/history information from the current database, and then somehow add that information to the old backup, thus giving me one database with the old and new information.

But I've tried synchronizing and exporting and I don't know what all else, and I'm not getting what I need. Any advice?

I'm using ACT! 6.0.

[Roy_Laude…]

It's possible database repair could do the import but I doubt it. You would be better off if you restored the old backupand kept it for reference.

[dbast]

Thanks. Seems like such a simple thing -- I have the information I need in two ACT 6.0 databases, sure would think I could merge them!

[Roy_Laude…]

If they were two different databases you could but you have two different versions of the same database. Every record in the database has a unique ID and by every record I mean every contact, every note, every history and  every opportunity. When you reassigned the record manager was changed but the unique ID wasn't. If you tried to merge the databases ACT! would detect that the records were the same and one would be kept and one discarded. At this point I don't know which one that would be.

[dbast]

Yes, that makes sense. I think it wants to keep the information from the more recent of the two databases, which in my case is the wrong one! I wonder if I could somehow "fake it" into thinking the older database is newer ...

[dbast]

Well, that "faking" didn't work either. I may just give up. Appreciate your help thinking this through!

[Roy_Laude… · Accepted solution]

I thought of something that might work. You would use the old backup as the target, that is that is the database you would import the problem database into. When you setup the import there is a panel of rules that controls the import and each of the different things (contacts Notes, etc) has options for use newest, use form source and do not change. These options are available for when records match or when records don't match. For records that do match select Do Not Change. For records that don't match use select Add.

It may seem backwards but I think it will work.

[dbast]

Thanks so much for pursuing this! I'm not a computer today where I can access the ACT! databases, but I'll give this a try on Monday and report back.

[dbast]

Roy, I now know why you're a Gold Super Contributor! Your advice worked like a charm.

I have assured everyone that I am not the hero here -- you are. Thanks again for sticking with this until a solution was found.