Read time: ~5 minutes
Applies to: Admin Portal · On-premise only
What you can do
Restore your on-premise CRIBWISE data from a backup by copying the backed-up files back to their original locations. During this process, the Admin Portal services must be stopped.
Important: For cloud installations, backup and restore are handled by the service provider and cannot be performed by customers.
What gets restored
Data is stored across three types of storage. Restore all three to return the system to the state of the backup.
| Storage | What it holds | What you restore |
|---|---|---|
| Relational database (MSSQL LocalDB) | All structured relational data, including entities and their relationships | The two SmartSupplyAdministration files in C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile |
| Table storage (MongoDB) | Unstructured data, such as system events, events, and reporting data | The Data folder in C:\MongoDB |
| File system | All downloaded files and files prepared for download from the Admin Portal, such as item documents, and import/export files | The contents of C:\Storage |
Before you start
- You need a backup to restore from — see How to back up on-premise data.
- Sign in to the computer (server) hosting the application. Every step in this guide runs on that machine.
- You need permission to stop and start Windows services on that machine.
- Plan a maintenance window. The Admin Portal is unavailable while its services are stopped.
Warning: Restoring replaces the data currently on the server with the data in the backup. Anything recorded since the backup was taken is lost.
Note: To restore data from a backup, neither the Admin Portal service nor the MongoDB service can be running.
Quick start
Experienced administrators complete the restore in 5 steps:
- Stop the CD.Platform and MongoDB services.
- Replace the two SmartSupplyAdministration database files with the ones from the backup.
- Replace the Data folder in C:\MongoDB with the one from the backup.
- Replace the contents of C:\Storage with the file system backup.
- Start the MongoDB and CD Platform services again.
Need more detail? Follow the full steps below.
Steps
Step 1 – Stop the Admin Portal service
To stop the CD.Platform service, follow these steps:
- Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
- Type services.msc and press Enter.
- In the Services window, scroll down the list to find CD.Platform. Services are listed alphabetically, so it should appear under the “C” section.
- Right-click on CD.Platform.
- Select Stop from the context menu (1).
The Status column for CD.Platform should now be blank (instead of showing “Running”).
Stopping the service. The Services tab of Task Manager, shown here, is an alternative to the Services window.
Step 2 – Restore the MSSQL LocalDB database
- Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile.
- Replace the files SmartSupplyAdministration.mdf and SmartSupplyAdministration_log.ldf with the same files from the backup location.
Start the CD Platform services, or continue with the restore of MongoDB.
Step 3 – Restore MongoDB
- Shut down the MongoDB service (open Task Manager, locate the MongoDB service, and stop it).
- Navigate to C:\MongoDB and delete the Data folder.
- Copy the Data folder from the backup location into C:\MongoDB.
- Restart the MongoDB service (and the CD Platform services, if they are still stopped).
Stopping MongoDB from Task Manager. CD Platform Host is already Stopped from Step 1.
Tip: Alternatively, mongorestore can be used to import data dumped with mongodump without need to stop MongoDB services. To restore dumped data, start C:\MongoDB\Server\bin\mongorestore.exe. For more information, visit the MongoDB backup documentation.
Step 4 – Restore the file system
To restore files stored on the file system, it is recommended to stop the CD Platform services to prevent any data corruption.
- (Optional) Stop the CD Platform services.
- Clear the contents of the folder: C:\Storage.
- Copy the contents from the file system backup folder to C:\Storage.
- (Optional) Restart the CD Platform services.
Success: The MongoDB and CD Platform services are running again, and the Admin Portal opens showing the data as it was when the backup was taken.
Next steps
- Take a fresh backup — once the restored system is verified, follow How to back up on-premise data again so you have a current recovery point.
- Continue the update — if the restore followed a failed upgrade, retry it with How to update the on-premise Admin Portal.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| You cannot find CD.Platform in the Services window | The list is long and scrolled past the entry | Services are listed alphabetically — scroll to the “C” section |
| A .mdf or .ldf file cannot be replaced because it is in use | The CD.Platform service is still running and holds the database files | Stop CD.Platform as described in Step 1, then replace the files |
The Data folder in C:\MongoDB cannot be deleted |
The MongoDB service is still running | Shut down the MongoDB service first (Step 3), then delete the folder |
You cannot clear C:\Storage |
The CD Platform services are still running and holding the files | Stop the CD Platform services, then clear the folder (Step 4) |
| The Admin Portal shows data from before the backup, or no data at all | Only part of the restore completed — the three storage types are restored separately | Restore all three: the database files (Step 2), the MongoDB Data folder (Step 3), and C:\Storage (Step 4) |
| You cannot find these services or folders on your machine | You are on a cloud installation, not an on-premise one | Backup and restore are handled by the service provider and cannot be performed by customers |
Related articles
- How to back up on-premise data — create the backup this restore depends on.
- How to update the on-premise Admin Portal — the upgrade a restore most often follows.
- How to clean up on-premise data — start from an empty server instead of restoring a backup.
- How to install on-premise — set up the Admin Portal and its services on your own server.
- How to migrate the Admin Portal database from LocalDB to SQL Server — move the relational data to a SQL Server instance you manage.