Data backups

The backup manager lets you copy your workspace’s data, schedule these copies, check their integrity and, as a last resort, restore a copy. This article describes what a backup contains, how to create and schedule one, and what a restore really changes. It is for administrators.

Before you start #

• Permissions of the Backup section (Platform administration menu): “Backup — Create / restore”, at the Access level to see the list and download, at the Execute level to create, verify, restore and delete; “Backup — Schedule”, at the Access level to see the schedule tab, at the Execute level to save it.
• By default, only the Administrator role holds these permissions (see Permissions & roles). No module or subscription option is needed.

What a backup contains #

Each backup is a full, encrypted copy of all your workspace’s data. It also includes the files of certain modules: Swiss payroll payslips and certificates, Moroccan payroll payslips and those of the Silae and PayFit connectors, HR request attachments, signature campaign documents, CVs, offer letters and the careers page cover, BDESE, mandatory notices, the company document library, Flex Office and Training. The module badges on a line show the modules active at the time of the copy; they do not limit its content.

The backup list #

Open Settings › Manage Illizeo › Backup Manager. The Backup Manager page opens:

• the Latest Backup card gives the name, date, size, type and duration of the most recent one, with the Encrypted badge and, where relevant, the last restore and who did it;
• the Backups tab lists completed copies: Name, Date, Frequency, Type (Manual or Scheduled), Size, Health and Actions. A backup that failed does not appear.

Creating a backup #

1. In the Backups tab, click New backup.
2. The copy runs in the background and can take several minutes. It appears in the list once completed, even if the progress indicator stopped before.

Only one backup runs at a time: while a copy is in progress, Illizeo refuses a new one.

Verifying, downloading, deleting #

• Verify integrity recalculates the copy’s fingerprint and compares it with the one taken when it was created. If they match, the health becomes Very good; otherwise, Warning. Module files are not checked.
• Download provides, through a link valid for 15 minutes, the copy of the data, encrypted and without the files. It cannot be opened outside Illizeo.
• Delete removes a copy and its files after confirmation. To delete several, tick them and click Delete in the selection bar. Deletion is permanent.

Scheduling backups #

1. Open the Schedule tab.
2. Turn on the switch of the Automatic scheduling card.
3. Choose the Frequency: Daily (every day), Weekly (every Monday), Biweekly (every two weeks) or Monthly (the 1st of the month).
4. Set the Run time, 01:00 by default.
5. Click Save in the Pending changes bar.

The run time is Central European time (Paris and Zurich time, summer and winter), whatever your workspace’s time zone. Each backup is a full one. If a copy is already running at the scheduled time, that slot’s scheduled backup does not take place.

At each scheduled backup, when it starts, Illizeo deletes completed backups, manual ones included, older than: 7 days for daily, 4 days for weekly, 2 days for biweekly, 1 day for monthly. Without active scheduling, no backup is deleted automatically; the Expiry column deletes nothing by itself.

Restoring a backup #

1. On the copy’s line, click Restore.
2. The “Restore this backup?” window recalls the copy’s name, date and content, and warns that all current data will be overwritten.
3. Click Restore and wait until it finishes: the window stays open throughout, then confirms “Backup restored successfully”.

What a restore does:

• all the workspace’s data returns to its state at the date of the copy, for every user; anything entered since is lost;
• the backup list and the schedule also return to their state in the copy: backups created after the one you restore, including a copy made just before, disappear from the list;
• files of the backed-up modules return to their version in the copy; a file added since stays in place;
• the restore is refused if Swiss payroll has moved on since the copy (month closed, declaration sent): restoring would erase what was sent to the institutions;
• a restore cannot be undone.

Good to know #

• Backups send no email or notification, whether they succeed or not: check the list.
• Every backup is encrypted; a copy cannot be written unencrypted.
• Restoring is not a way to undo a one-off mistake: to fix a few records, correct them in the application rather than taking the whole workspace back in time.

FAQ #

My backup does not appear. #

It may still be running: reload the list a few minutes later. A backup that failed never appears.

Can I keep a copy outside Illizeo? #

The downloaded file is encrypted and cannot be opened outside Illizeo. To have your data elsewhere, use the exports and reports.