Due to KashFlow being a cloud system there is no requirement for a backup functionality as all data is backed up in real time.
In comparison to other products, KashFlow allows you to delete records rather than have to issue a credit note for example, so any mistakes can easily be corrected.
We will not therefore be adding a backup and restore function at this time.
Guest
All systems should have a backup and restore function to protect from loss or corruption of data, or the loss of the service.
If a security incident wiped the Kashflow data, is there a backup somewhere that could be used to restore it for all affected clients? Could the backups themselves be corrupted during a security incident? Are the backups tested at any point?
If the answer is no to any of these, then customers should have an option to be able to backup their complete dataset to a 3rd party platform in a generic format, so that they can take their own measures to protect their data, so that it is available if or when required.
A restore is a must - I have had a situation whereby a junior has also made a load of mistakes this week and it would have been far simpler to just restore the system back a week, now I need to go back through a years work to find the errors - not a cost effective use of my time and obviously not chargeable. I cannot beleive that Kashflow (owned by Iris) who have been around donkeys years do not have a restore facility within the software. I have completely lost faith in Kashflow and will be moving my clients onto other software.
A restore system is imperative . When you are uploading data through the csv importer, you should be forced to do a backup prior to the upload and be able to restore to that point prior to the uploaded data, I have had to delete all data for customers numerous times when an import contains errors, or doid not work as I anticipated
Similarly if there is a data breach at the client end and their password is compromised it would be good if they could restore back to the last good backup.
Needs a backup facility!
A backup feature is essential. All other accounting platforms have it.
When doing things like a bulk CSV import it is extremely important to have a backup option so we can restore to a previous version if we make a big mistake.
I can't believe this is not a feature already, it's crazy.
Thanks
Re: April 29th update.
What a complete joke! Are you serious?
Every other accounting platform has a backup and restore functionality.
I find it extremely hard to believe it would require any restructuring. You already have all of the data pertaining to our accounts in a database, related to our account. All it would need is a database dump of all that data, and perhaps some encryption to keep it all safe. This could then be emailed to us or downloaded.
The restore function would work the same in reverse.
If you are not going to implement a feature, it would be better if you didn't just use the "we can't do it because we would have to restructure the entire app" excuse that seems all too common around here.
It is possible, and it wouldn't require any restructuring.
With regard to the "legal" issues, you could not be held accountable for someone doctoring their own accounts, so that's also a weak excuse. Other UK based accountancy softwares have implemented it already - https://www.clearbooks.co.uk/support/guides/tools/export/how-to-create-a-restore-point/
Hi Aaron,
Thanks for your comment. Very few other cloud accounting systems have a backup and restore function. Those that do have it provide some excellent functionality that is very useful in a number of situations, unfortunately it is not something that we are prioritising at the moment. for the following reasons;
Data Security - In the world of cloud software we work very hard to ensure that data is kept secure and users do not have to worry about a loss of information or backups. One of the major benefits of desktop software was the option to backup to a certain point, however the nature of cloud software nowadays does not always allow this
Audit Trail - We cannot provide an accurate audit trail within back up and restore which then leads to the legal implications discussed earlier. We are aware that mistakes are made that need to be corrected, however this must all be recorded accurately.
Data Transfer - The process of simply dumping data and moving it around is not as simple as simply taking information at one point and putting it into the same system at a previous juncture, especially as the system is constantly updating and saving information due to its very nature on the cloud and the ability for numerous parties to access such data such as clients, accountants, employees etc. This is why we have chosen not to implement a mass update system via our CSV importer and will not be prioritising a restore function at this time.
Many thanks,
Tom
grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented
So, I had/have to do a significant amount of untried data imports on the system and I couldn't take a snapshot of the data to restore to in case it went wrong.
Of course, I thought "be extra careful" and I was and I **still** made a mistake. I now have to go in and undo a batch.
And then I will have to do it again - and again there will be no roll-back possibility.
And my predicament is just one of a multitude of reasons of why you need backup & restore.
This is one absolutely MUST HAVE for any/every accounting software.
I agree with a previous poster that your excuses (not reasons) are weak.
I didn't even research this feature when choosing kashflow as I had never envisaged a situation where it would NOT be available. There is NO WAY I would move to an accounting package without backup and restore. Suffice it to say I am going back to the person who referred me to let them know what I think and I will NEVER refer kashflow to anybody again.
Hero to zero.
Hi Brendan,
Due to KashFlow being a cloud system there is no requirement for a backup functionality as all data is backed up in real time. In comparison to other products, KashFlow allows you to delete records rather than have to issue a credit note for example, so any mistakes can easily be corrected.
I apologise for the issues that you have had, but we are not making excuses for not adding such functionality we simply feel that in KashFlow we have provided a more than useful mechanism for correcting any mistakes that may happen.
Thanks
Backup is a must as your systems have lost us lots of data to which you cannot restore and we need to re-input all this from scratch which is more than annoying.
The data in the CSV's you get in your current so called backup are also incomplete and worth nothing to anyone.
A proper CSV export / backup feature with import is a must and needed.