Backing Up and Restoring Benson Test Data
Updated August 14, 2026 · 5 min read
What's happening
The Benson software keeps a backup function built in, separate from exporting individual test results. A backup captures the whole working database — every employee record, every test result, and your configuration settings — as one file, so it can be restored as a complete set rather than reconstructed piece by piece. If you're only trying to pull a set of results out for your own records or another system, that's a different task; see our guide on exporting and importing test data for that. This guide covers the full backup and restore, the kind you use for continuity, not day-to-day file handling.
Run this before any install, upgrade, PC move, or if you're ever asked to let us or Benson support attempt a database repair. It's the single best protection against losing historical records, and it takes a few minutes.
What a backup contains
A backup made through File > Backup captures the complete state of the Benson database at that moment: employee demographics, every recorded test, and the software's own configuration. It does not separately capture the daily calibration reference values tied to a specific PC — those live with the machine's local setup rather than in the backup file, which is why a PC move can leave you without a reference to compare against even after a full restore. If that happens, see our guide on moving Benson software to a new PC.
How to back up
- Open the Benson software and go to File > Backup.
- Choose a save location off the local PC — a network drive or another backed-up location, not just the machine's own hard drive. If the PC is later replaced, reimaged, or lost, a backup saved only to that same PC doesn't help.
- Click OK and let the backup run to completion. Don't close the software or the PC while it's writing the file.
- Confirm the backup file exists at the save location and has a reasonable file size before you consider the task done.
How often to back up
Run a backup on a regular schedule, weekly is a reasonable baseline for most sites, and always run one immediately before any of the following:
- Installing a software upgrade or update, even one described as in-place.
- Moving the software to a new or replacement PC.
- A Windows upgrade or major update on the PC running the software.
- Any time we or Benson support are going to attempt a database repair.
An in-place software upgrade usually preserves your existing data on its own, but back up first regardless. It costs a few minutes and removes any question about what's recoverable if something in the upgrade doesn't go as expected.
Where to keep it
Save backups somewhere that survives the PC they came from: a network drive, a shared server location your organization already backs up, or another form of off-machine storage your IT department maintains. Keep more than one dated copy if you can, rather than overwriting the same backup file each time — that gives you a fallback if a problem in the database existed before the most recent backup was taken.
How to restore
- Install the Benson software on the target PC first, and get the license authorized and working before you restore anything into it.
- Open File > Restore and point it at the backup file.
- Let the restore run to completion without interrupting it.
- Confirm a sample of records, especially recent ones, before you consider the old data source no longer needed.
If you hit an error message during either backup or restore rather than a clean completion, stop and don't retry repeatedly on your own — an interrupted or repeatedly retried backup/restore is the most common way a database ends up needing a repair in the first place. Call us and we'll walk through it with you live.
When to call us
- You get an error message during backup or restore rather than a clean completion.
- You're not sure whether a backup completed successfully before proceeding with an upgrade or PC swap.
- You need to restore onto a new PC and want confirmation on the order of steps before you start.
- You're planning a database repair and want to confirm your backup is current first.
Call (513) 891-0868 or email service@fosterinstruments.com, ideally before you start rather than after something goes sideways.
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Still stuck?
If this didn't fix it, or the next step involves opening the case, recalibration, or anything that could affect accuracy — stop and call Foster. We'll get you sorted or schedule service.