Upgrading (or Installing) TAT
The current version of TAT is always available on the TradeAutomationToolbox.com user website under the Download section.
When upgrading TAT (PC or Server version) you should leave your current version of TAT installed and just run the installer for the new version, which will upgrade your system and keep your database (including your template, schedules, settings, and trade history) in place. It is also recommend to manually make a backup copy of your data.db3 file, just in case. (See instructions below.)
WARNING: DO NOT Uninstall TAT (without manually backing up your data.db3 file). Uninstalling TAT will delete the data.db3 database file that includes your templates, schedules, settings, and trade history and they will be lost forever.
Backing up the database file
All of your TAT information is stored locally on your computer/server in a database file. None of your settings, schedules, etc. are stored on the TAT server and cannot be recovered if they are deleted from your computer. For this reason, it is HIGHLY recommended to make regular backups of your database file.
There are two database files: data.db3 (live trading) and test.db3 (test/paper trading). The are both located in the TAT data folder, which can be located at the bottom of the Settings page inside the TAT software. (Your location will vary from the example below.)
Each broker has a different database file, so you will need to backup/move the file(s) needed for your trading:
IBKR: data.db3 and test .db3
TradeStation: data-tradestation.db3 and test-tradestation.db3
Tradier: data-tradier.db3 and test-tradier.db3
Schwab: data-schwab.db3 and test-schwab.db3
Automatic Backup
TAT does make a backup copy of your data.db3 file after the close each day, named data.bak. This file could be restored if the primary database file was deleted or corrupted somehow. However, TAT only has permission to write to files in the TAT data directory, so the backup and the primary database files are located in the same folder and both will be removed in the event TAT is uninstalled.
Manual Backup
To make your own backup, you simply need to copy the data.db3 file to another location on your computer/server or to a cloud storage location such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.
Restoring a Backup
To switch back to using a backup file, you simply need to close TAT, rename the current data.db3 file to olddata.db3 and then copy the data.db3 file that you want to restore back into the TAT data directory. (If there is a data.db3-wal file present, rename that to olddata.db3-wal as well.)
Moving TAT to a different computer/server
It is possible to move TAT to a different computer/server and keep all of your settings and trade history. To do so, you just need to copy over the data.db3 database file from the old computer to the new one.
Each broker has a different database file, so you will need to backup/move the file(s) needed for your trading:
IBKR: data.db3 and test .db3
TradeStation: data-tradestation.db3 and test-tradestation.db3
Tradier: data-tradier.db3 and test-tradier.db3
Schwab: data-schwab.db3 and test-schwab.db3
1. Install TAT on the new computer.
2. Open TAT on the new computer and make note of the location of the TAT data directory (which is listed at the bottom of the Settings page).
3. With TAT closed, in the TAT data directory, rename the current data.db3 file to olddata.db3 and then copy the data.db3 file from your old computer.
4. When TAT restarts, it will be using the data.db3 file you copied over from the old computer and you should see all of your existing information.