Glo Backup and Restore Database

aleuts · 01-14-2015, 05:18 PM

Hi,

Forgive me if the answer is buried somewhere but i can seem to find a simple step by step on backing up annotations/highlights and my database (thats stores reading stats). i found kobo utilities addon for calibre has an option to back up the database but no option to restore it and also no option for annotations/highlights. I have also found people suggest SQL but that is a bit beyond me. Can anyone help? the annotations/highlights is the most important.

Thank You

davidfor · 01-14-2015, 07:19 PM

Not having a database restore function in the utilities plugin is deliberate. If there is a problem that needs a database restore, you probably don't want to do it from within calibre. It access the database and might cause problems. Plus if you need to do a restore, you need to think about what you are doing and why. And the restore is a simple file copy and rename. Plus it should be an very infrequent task, so spending the time to automate it is not necessarily worthwhile.

The annotations are stored in the database. Hence a database backup automatically has the annotations. In lot of cases, it will be pointless to restore the annotations with the rest of the database. The data needs to be consistent for everything to work properly.

You can also use the Annotations plugin to copy the annotations into a column in calibre. But, this a one-way action and they can't be restored to the device.

The real question is, what are you trying to achieve? If you are just worried about loosing the annotations if you need to do a factory reset, just make sure the backups are done and come back and ask when you need to restore them. If there is another reason, tell us and we'll see what we can suggest.

aleuts · 01-14-2015, 07:30 PM

My kobo has been acting very strange freezing, crashing, taking ages to reload covers while awakening from sleep etc. the last time it gave me problems like this was about a year ago and a factory reset did the trick but backing up was not an issue as it wasnt used much. now i have acquired alot more books and the data to go with them. Also i figured since im doing a restore may aswell convert my epubs to kepubs and take advantage of the "extras" they offer.
I had just stumbled across the annotations plugin as you mentioned it and backup them up to a text file and a custom section in calibre. if i cant get them back to the device is the end of the world as long as they on the pc i guess. my only concern now is if i have to restore entire database for annotations etc. and some how restoring corrupted data and ended up at square one.

PeterT · 01-14-2015, 07:48 PM

If the annotations could be viewed as secondary, you could just store the reading locations via the Kobo Utility plugin, and then, if you had to rebuild, then after getting all the ePubs back on the device, use the KU plugin to restore the reading locations.

davidfor · 01-14-2015, 09:34 PM

Yes, store the reading status and the annotations using the plugins.

The problem for backing up and restoring the annotations is the reference in the data. Each annotation has a reference to the book as it is described in the database. If the books are put back on the device with exactly the same path and file name, it is easy. But, if that changes, then the reference has to be created properly.

Changing formats is a problem. The internal location reference used for kepubs and epubs is different. There is no easy way to convert between them. This also goes for different versions of the same book in the same format. The location is specific to the version of the book as it uses the internal structure of the book.

And while I'm mention it, the same goes for different devices and reading apps. They all tend to invent their own way of recording the reading position. It's probably possible to convert for devices using the Adobe RMSDK (I'm pretty sure I can between Sony and Kobo), and the conversion from Kobo to the calibre reader (epubs only) is easy, but for most devices it won't be.

booklover6 · 01-15-2015, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

Plus if you need to do a restore, you need to think about what you are doing and why. And the restore is a simple file copy and rename.

Thanks for posting this. I keep getting a corrupt data base, and am tired of logging out and in. So restoring a database that I backed up earlier today. It's slowly "processing content."

I think a factory reset is in my future...

davidfor · 01-15-2015, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booklover6

Thanks for posting this. I keep getting a corrupt data base, and am tired of logging out and in. So restoring a database that I backed up earlier today. It's slowly "processing content."

How old was the backup? It should only process books that have been added to the device since the backup was taken. Hopefully you haven't done what I have a few times - copy the database and then forget to rename it before disconnecting.

Very annoying.

Quote:

I think a factory reset is in my future...

I hope not as it's a bit of a pain.

booklover6 · 01-15-2015, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

How old was the backup? It should only process books that have been added to the device since the backup was taken. Hopefully you haven't done what I have a few times - copy the database and then forget to rename it before disconnecting.

Very annoying.

I hope not as it's a bit of a pain.

The back up was only a few hours old.

It didn't solve my issues, in fact I found even more. So I did a factory reset. It went well, and restoring the patch and night mode is all done. I haven't reloaded all the books yet.

It seems perfectly fine now.

ETA except that it is taking a very, very long time to process the books I loaded this morning. I'm experimenting with epubs vs kepubs. Surely it doesn't take longer to process epubs?

aleuts · 01-17-2015, 10:24 AM

My restored kobo is working wonderfully, its so fast and responsive now.
i didnt bother try to restore my annotations as it is not automated i was scared i may brake something!
I did back up reading positions but they would not restore and i realised as you said @davidt the locations in the database must have changed when i converted epubs to kepubs.

Long story short i manually set up up again! luckily i took pictures of reading positions just incase and what books was finished and watch was on my shelf!
i did have a problem with a couple kepubs not opening but opening fine as an epub, displaying the error Opps... blah blah blah. i found out there was a formatting error and i needed to use sigil to correct it buy opening and saving the epubs which took ages as it was alot of books! but it all works fine now!

@booklover6 my database takes a while to process when i first upload everything but gets quicker when i add the odd book here and after the initial update. im not sure but i think when i updated the data in device library via kobo plugin in calibre it didnt have to process anything,maybe give that a go?

overall im happy i restored the device given all the extra work required it was still worth it and im happy with the extra information that comes with the kepubs and im not sure if its in my head but im sure the formatting is different/better!? the only downside is the large headers but i guess its a small price to pay..

Thanks for all the help!

booklover6 · 01-17-2015, 12:39 PM

@aleuts I use Calibre to upload everything. I did a couple of different checks on the Aura this morning, and had no excessive processing. So I think it's good to go, now.

I check every single books with Sigil and Edit Book before I upload them. Sigil can often create or correct a TOC by clicking on the bottom right bar that says "Generate TOC." If that fails, I use "Edit TOC." I want working TOCs on all my documents.

mietek81 · 02-27-2015, 01:57 PM

Topic is old but I'm in need and have the same problem with restoring data.
I was trying to update my Glo (which still was on 2.8.1) to latest 3.13.1. Unfortunately the firmware file got corrupted when downloading and update ended bad as my Glo was blinking at me in green. So I did a factory reset loosing everything on device and then updated it again.
Now I'm wondering in which order I should go - first upload to Glo all my kobofied epubs and then restore database? Or is it the other way around?
And is it safe to do at all? There was a lot of version between 2.8.1 and 3.13.1 and maybe it won't work? Maybe database was changed in some way in one of versions?

davidfor · 02-27-2015, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mietek81

Now I'm wondering in which order I should go - first upload to Glo all my kobofied epubs and then restore database? Or is it the other way around?

Put the books on first. When the device checks for new books, it also checks for missing books. It will then remove the details of the missing books from the database.

Quote:

And is it safe to do at all? There was a lot of version between 2.8.1 and 3.13.1 and maybe it won't work? Maybe database was changed in some way in one of versions?

Yes, it is safe. The firmware checks the database during startup and applies any updates needed. If something does go wrong, the device will probably delete the database and create a new one. And the worst that could happen is that you need to do another factory reset.

DNSB · 02-28-2015, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mietek81

Topic is old but I'm in need and have the same problem with restoring data.
I was trying to update my Glo (which still was on 2.8.1) to latest 3.13.1. Unfortunately the firmware file got corrupted when downloading and update ended bad as my Glo was blinking at me in green. So I did a factory reset loosing everything on device and then updated it again.
Now I'm wondering in which order I should go - first upload to Glo all my kobofied epubs and then restore database? Or is it the other way around?
And is it safe to do at all? There was a lot of version between 2.8.1 and 3.13.1 and maybe it won't work? Maybe database was changed in some way in one of versions?

Did whatever utility you used to open the .zip file complain about file corruption? The one time I got a bad download, all three utilities (7Zip, WinZip and unzip) I used to open the .zip file complained about file corruption when I attempt to unpack the archive.

I would do the factory reset, updates and patches (if using them) and then copy over the ebooks and let your Glo process them. I generally don't bother with restoring a database backup unless it was very recent as I tend to move ebooks on and off my Kobos fairly often.

mietek81 · 02-28-2015, 04:52 AM

Well, I did a thing that I normally would not - tried to unpack it directly to Kobo. And then I disconnected the Glo. My only excuse is that I wasn't expecting that it will try to update with a piece of firmware file. My bad...

I have a backup which is month old but in this time I read maybe only one or two books so you may say that database is quite recent.
So after adding books and processing I may restore the database?

A little update about restoring databse.
I tried to do this but after that Glo was behaving rather strange, not all read books were seen by it as read, not all were even seen by the device. I guess that recovering database is safe and simple only if you have a backup of it on the same firmware as your Glo is.

01-14-2015, 05:18 PM	#1
aleuts Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2014 Device: kobo Glo	Backup and Restore Database Hi, Forgive me if the answer is buried somewhere but i can seem to find a simple step by step on backing up annotations/highlights and my database (thats stores reading stats). i found kobo utilities addon for calibre has an option to back up the database but no option to restore it and also no option for annotations/highlights. I have also found people suggest SQL but that is a bit beyond me. Can anyone help? the annotations/highlights is the most important. Thank You

02-27-2015, 01:57 PM	#11
mietek81 Connoisseur Posts: 79 Karma: 5414 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: CK, Poland Device: Kobo Glo, H2O	Topic is old but I'm in need and have the same problem with restoring data. I was trying to update my Glo (which still was on 2.8.1) to latest 3.13.1. Unfortunately the firmware file got corrupted when downloading and update ended bad as my Glo was blinking at me in green. So I did a factory reset loosing everything on device and then updated it again. Now I'm wondering in which order I should go - first upload to Glo all my kobofied epubs and then restore database? Or is it the other way around? And is it safe to do at all? There was a lot of version between 2.8.1 and 3.13.1 and maybe it won't work? Maybe database was changed in some way in one of versions? Last edited by mietek81; 02-27-2015 at 02:01 PM. Reason: aded last paragraph

02-28-2015, 04:52 AM	#14
mietek81 Connoisseur Posts: 79 Karma: 5414 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: CK, Poland Device: Kobo Glo, H2O	Well, I did a thing that I normally would not - tried to unpack it directly to Kobo. And then I disconnected the Glo. My only excuse is that I wasn't expecting that it will try to update with a piece of firmware file. My bad... I have a backup which is month old but in this time I read maybe only one or two books so you may say that database is quite recent. So after adding books and processing I may restore the database? A little update about restoring databse. I tried to do this but after that Glo was behaving rather strange, not all read books were seen by it as read, not all were even seen by the device. I guess that recovering database is safe and simple only if you have a backup of it on the same firmware as your Glo is. Last edited by mietek81; 03-02-2015 at 03:46 AM.

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01-14-2015, 07:19 PM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,906 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Not having a database restore function in the utilities plugin is deliberate. If there is a problem that needs a database restore, you probably don't want to do it from within calibre. It access the database and might cause problems. Plus if you need to do a restore, you need to think about what you are doing and why. And the restore is a simple file copy and rename. Plus it should be an very infrequent task, so spending the time to automate it is not necessarily worthwhile. The annotations are stored in the database. Hence a database backup automatically has the annotations. In lot of cases, it will be pointless to restore the annotations with the rest of the database. The data needs to be consistent for everything to work properly. You can also use the Annotations plugin to copy the annotations into a column in calibre. But, this a one-way action and they can't be restored to the device. The real question is, what are you trying to achieve? If you are just worried about loosing the annotations if you need to do a factory reset, just make sure the backups are done and come back and ask when you need to restore them. If there is another reason, tell us and we'll see what we can suggest.

01-14-2015, 07:30 PM	#3
aleuts Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2014 Device: kobo Glo	My kobo has been acting very strange freezing, crashing, taking ages to reload covers while awakening from sleep etc. the last time it gave me problems like this was about a year ago and a factory reset did the trick but backing up was not an issue as it wasnt used much. now i have acquired alot more books and the data to go with them. Also i figured since im doing a restore may aswell convert my epubs to kepubs and take advantage of the "extras" they offer. I had just stumbled across the annotations plugin as you mentioned it and backup them up to a text file and a custom section in calibre. if i cant get them back to the device is the end of the world as long as they on the pc i guess. my only concern now is if i have to restore entire database for annotations etc. and some how restoring corrupted data and ended up at square one.

01-14-2015, 07:48 PM	#4
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,255 Karma: 74007256 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS	If the annotations could be viewed as secondary, you could just store the reading locations via the Kobo Utility plugin, and then, if you had to rebuild, then after getting all the ePubs back on the device, use the KU plugin to restore the reading locations.

01-14-2015, 09:34 PM	#5
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,906 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Yes, store the reading status and the annotations using the plugins. The problem for backing up and restoring the annotations is the reference in the data. Each annotation has a reference to the book as it is described in the database. If the books are put back on the device with exactly the same path and file name, it is easy. But, if that changes, then the reference has to be created properly. Changing formats is a problem. The internal location reference used for kepubs and epubs is different. There is no easy way to convert between them. This also goes for different versions of the same book in the same format. The location is specific to the version of the book as it uses the internal structure of the book. And while I'm mention it, the same goes for different devices and reading apps. They all tend to invent their own way of recording the reading position. It's probably possible to convert for devices using the Adobe RMSDK (I'm pretty sure I can between Sony and Kobo), and the conversion from Kobo to the calibre reader (epubs only) is easy, but for most devices it won't be.

01-17-2015, 10:24 AM	#9
aleuts Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2014 Device: kobo Glo	My restored kobo is working wonderfully, its so fast and responsive now. i didnt bother try to restore my annotations as it is not automated i was scared i may brake something! I did back up reading positions but they would not restore and i realised as you said @davidt the locations in the database must have changed when i converted epubs to kepubs. Long story short i manually set up up again! luckily i took pictures of reading positions just incase and what books was finished and watch was on my shelf! i did have a problem with a couple kepubs not opening but opening fine as an epub, displaying the error Opps... blah blah blah. i found out there was a formatting error and i needed to use sigil to correct it buy opening and saving the epubs which took ages as it was alot of books! but it all works fine now! @booklover6 my database takes a while to process when i first upload everything but gets quicker when i add the odd book here and after the initial update. im not sure but i think when i updated the data in device library via kobo plugin in calibre it didnt have to process anything,maybe give that a go? overall im happy i restored the device given all the extra work required it was still worth it and im happy with the extra information that comes with the kepubs and im not sure if its in my head but im sure the formatting is different/better!? the only downside is the large headers but i guess its a small price to pay.. Thanks for all the help!

01-17-2015, 12:39 PM	#10
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,535 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	@aleuts I use Calibre to upload everything. I did a couple of different checks on the Aura this morning, and had no excessive processing. So I think it's good to go, now. I check every single books with Sigil and Edit Book before I upload them. Sigil can often create or correct a TOC by clicking on the bottom right bar that says "Generate TOC." If that fails, I use "Edit TOC." I want working TOCs on all my documents.

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