Back up files --- degree of need
 

I delete my back up files when they are a couple weeks old. Is there a reason to keep a back up file when they are old?

Assuming that OF is doing whatever it needs to do to catch database corruption as part of the backup process, we only need to keep backups for purposes of recovering something that WE (as opposed to OF) delete, incorrectly assign (and then can't find), etc. In that case, I can't see keeping more that a weeks worth of backup files.

OTOH, if OF is capable of using the backup files to recover from some hediously sneaky form of database corruption that can go undetected for some time, then I could see keeping the backup files indefinitely.

Only someone in the know at Omni can really answer this question I suspect.

Half my thought
 

I didn't think about database corruption, but I did think the first item

I am thinking that if I needed to go back to a back up from a week ago, I would lose everything that has happened since that back up

Does this mean my backup files stick around forever unless I manually maintain them? The manual doesn't mention this. I just assumed it kept a recent backup.

Interesting. Thanks for pointing this out!

Yea, OmniFocus doesn't do any kind of clean up on the backed-up files. A few people have already asked for a new feature to do this.

Until such a feature becomes available, I've been using the [URL="http://www.noodlesoft.com/hazel.php"]Hazel[/URL] preference pane to automatically remove any backup file older than one week. This isn't perfect, but it's a pretty good/easy way to get 95% of the desired functionality. Note, however, that Hazel is not free ($22 USD), but it's also useful for a variety of other tasks and has a very nice GUI.

[QUOTE=librarymonkey27;35174]I didn't think about database corruption, but I did think the first item

I am thinking that if I needed to go back to a back up from a week ago, I would lose everything that has happened since that back up[/QUOTE]

I ***assume*** that you can restore to a different database file, find the missing data, export the missing record(s), reload your current database, and import the data. This might require some file renaming, and is in the "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it" category for me.

If anyone has done anything related to this, please share your experiences.

You should just be able to open the backup as a separate document, find the data you deleted, and drag them into your main OmniFocus window. (Or cut and paste if you prefer.) No exporting or importing required.