# Snapshots — keep a dated history of your data
Your data is brought in from your ERP so that it matches the ERP as it is now. When a figure changes there, the old value is gone from here too, and it cannot be recovered. A snapshot keeps a dated copy of a table from the day it is switched on, so you can later ask what it looked like on a given day.
What a snapshot keeps
Each snapshot is one table or view, copied on a schedule:
- How often — daily, weekly on a day, or at month end.
- Time — the time of day the copy is taken, in South African time. The suggested time is 23:55.
- Keeps — how long the copies are held, at least 31 days, or without an end.
- Purpose — why it was asked for, in words.
Who can ask, and when it starts
- An administrator asking for one starts it at once.
- The assistant, when a user asks for one in chat, and a partner both wait for an administrator. The assistant files one only after the user says yes, and tells the user it is waiting. It starts when you press Approve on the Partners page, in the Speed fixes list. See Partners.
Days that are missing
The first copy is taken when the snapshot starts. Days before that were never captured, and they are never estimated or filled in afterwards. If a scheduled copy does not happen, that day stays marked as missed: it is shown as missing, never as zero.
See what is being kept
Open Snapshots in the menu, under Data feeds and snapshots (administrators only). Each snapshot shows its source, how often, the time, how long it keeps, its status, who asked, the first and last day copied, the days kept, the days missed and the latest ones, the last run (when, how many rows and any error) and its purpose. A snapshot that has missed days is listed first.
Stopping a snapshot
Press Stop this snapshot on the Partners page. No more copies are taken, and the copies already kept stay. To begin keeping the same history again, ask for a new snapshot: days between are missing.