Recovering Lost Projects: A Complete Guide to Hansoft Data RecoveryLosing project data can be a nightmare—missed deadlines, lost work, and frustrated teams. Hansoft is a powerful project and portfolio management tool used by software developers, game studios, and other teams to track progress and coordinate tasks. This guide walks through practical steps to recover lost or corrupted Hansoft data, prevent future losses, and restore normal project operations with minimal disruption.
Overview of Hansoft data structure
Hansoft stores project information in a server-side database and accompanying file-based repositories (attachments, logs). Understanding where data lives helps target recovery efforts quickly:
- Hansoft Server Database — primary store for tasks, schedules, resources, histories, and configuration.
- Attachments and Repositories — files uploaded to Hansoft (documents, images).
- Server Configuration and Logs — useful for diagnosing crashes and corruption.
- Backups and Snapshots — either Hansoft’s built-in backups or external snapshots (database dumps, file-system backups, VM snapshots).
Common causes of data loss
- Accidental deletion of projects or tasks
- Database corruption (hardware failures, abrupt shutdowns)
- File system issues or storage failures
- Misconfigured replication or cluster failures
- Software bugs or failed upgrades
- Ransomware or other malicious activity
- Human error during maintenance or migration
Immediate steps after discovering data loss
- Stop writing to the Hansoft server. Continued activity can overwrite recoverable data.
- Notify stakeholders and assemble a recovery lead/team.
- Preserve current state: take a full snapshot of the Hansoft server (database files, attachments, configs) and server VM if applicable.
- Check Hansoft server logs and OS system logs for recent errors or events that could indicate cause.
- Identify the scope (which projects/tasks/attachments missing, and when this occurred).
Check built-in recovery options
- Hansoft’s administrative tools may offer options to restore deleted items within a grace period. Look for an administrative “undelete” or recycle bin feature.
- Review Hansoft audit logs to identify who/what deleted or modified items and when.
- If replication is in place, see whether a secondary/replica node still has intact data that can be used to restore.
Restore from backups
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Locate the most recent valid backup prior to the loss event. Backups may be:
- Hansoft-managed backups (if configured)
- Database dumps (e.g., SQL backups)
- File-system-level backups of attachments and server files
- VM snapshots or storage-level snapshots
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Validate backup integrity on a separate test system before restoring to production. Restoring to production without validation risks repeating issues.
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Plan a restoration window and communicate downtime expectations.
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If only some projects are missing, consider partial restore strategies (extract the missing projects from the backup and import them) rather than full server overwrite.
Recovering from database corruption
- Use database vendor tools to check and repair corruption (e.g., consistency checks, repair utilities). The specific steps depend on the database Hansoft uses (contact Hansoft documentation or support for the supported database type).
- If repair fails, restore the last known-good database backup.
- If binlog/transaction logs are available, consider point-in-time recovery to restore up to just before the deletion or corruption event.
Recovering individual projects or items
- If the server has attachment files intact but database entries missing, you may be able to reimport attachments and recreate tasks from available files.
- Export any available artifacts (CSV/XML/JSON exports, reports, or plugin exports) from remaining data before performing restores.
- For partial recoveries: restore backup to a separate environment, export the specific project(s), then import into production.
Handling attachments and binary repositories
- Ensure file-system backups of attachment directories are consistent with the database state to avoid orphaned files or missing links.
- If only attachments are missing, restore the file store and run Hansoft maintenance utilities (or contact support) to re-link attachments to database objects.
If ransomware or malicious activity is suspected
- Isolate the Hansoft server from the network immediately.
- Preserve forensic evidence (disk images, logs).
- Use offline, verified backups to restore. Do not reconnect to the network until systems are clean.
- Consider engaging incident response specialists.
Testing and validation after restore
- Verify restored projects, tasks, attachments, and histories match expected states.
- Run basic workflows with users to confirm functionality.
- Check integrations (CI/CD, issue trackers, identity providers) and scheduled jobs.
Post-recovery steps: prevent recurrence
- Implement or improve regular automated backups (database + attachments) stored offsite and immutable where possible.
- Enable and monitor Hansoft audit logs and automated alerts for deletion or large-scale changes.
- Use replication or high-availability configurations to reduce single points of failure.
- Test restores periodically (quarterly minimum) and document recovery procedures.
- Enforce least-privilege access controls and review user permissions regularly.
- Harden servers (OS patches, antivirus, network segmentation) and maintain secure upgrade processes.
- Consider enabling point-in-time recovery if supported by your database.
When to contact Hansoft support or a data-recovery specialist
- If corruption is severe or vendor-specific database errors occur.
- If internal attempts fail or risks of data loss are high.
- When forensic analysis is needed after suspected malicious activity.
- When specialized tools are required to extract or repair Hansoft-specific formats.
Sample recovery checklist (concise)
- Stop writes, snapshot current system
- Identify scope and timeline of loss
- Check Hansoft admin recovery and audit logs
- Locate and validate backups
- Restore to test environment first
- Perform full or partial restore as needed
- Validate, test, and re-enable services
- Implement/improve backup and monitoring
Recovering lost Hansoft projects requires quick containment, careful use of backups, and validating any restored data before returning to production. With good backup hygiene, periodic restore testing, and proper access controls you can minimize both the risk and impact of future incidents.
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