Lost faces?

[lumacraft]

Today when I opened one of my iMatch databases, a database format update was required and I allowed that to proceed. I then ran Database Diagnostics which, to the best of my recollection, flagged no errors.

I quickly noticed though that all 279 persons listed in the People tab now show "No files."

Also, the Statistics for Events and People on the Dashboard now indicate "No confirmed faces" and "No unconfirmed faces".

Does this mean that all face data has somehow been lost? If so, do you have any thoughts on what might have caused that? 

I have not opened this database in a few months, but do I have a Pack & Go backup from the last time that I did. I have not yet tried recovering from that backup. I have also not yet tried opening any of my other databases since this occurred to check whether or not I see the same problem.

Thank you for any insight and advice that you can offer on whether the face data may be recoverable and on how best to proceed.

- David

[Mario]

Today when I opened one of my iMatch databases, a database format update was required and I allowed that to proceed.

This happens only when you install a new IMatch version. Not out of the blue. Did you install a new IMatch version.
Else, double-check that you have opened the correct database. IMatch does not lose confirmed faces. The information which person is linked to a face is stored in the database, directly inside the face data. A confirmed link is only broken manually by the user or by removing persons from the database.

[lumacraft]

I purchased and installed the upgrade from iMatch 2021 to iMatch 2023 on July 3, 2023. 

The database with the lost face data is named Personal. 

I retained a copy of the iMatch 2021 version of database Personal before I upgraded it to 2023, in a separate folder labeled 'Backups of v2021 Databases'. That copy of Personal is date stamped July 3, 2023, which indicates to me that I converted Personal from 2021 to 2023 format on that date.

My most recent Pack & Go archive for Personal has the filename IMatch_20240105.impag. My habit is to make a fresh Pack & Go backup every time that I operate on a database, so based on that date stamp I believe that I last modified Personal database on January 5. I do not recall experiencing any issues with its face data contents at that time or at any time previous to today. 

I keep all twelve of my active iMatch databases in the same folder. They are named differently. Only one shows as being modified today, and it has filename Personal.imd5. So all indications are that I opened the correct database.

I don't know how meaningful this is, but under Dashboard Events and People, iMatch lists 30 thumbnails under 'Recently Added or Modified Persons'.

I am at real loss to understand what happened or how best to try to recover the lost information. I guess my next step will be to move and rename this problematic version of Personal and then try restoring from that last Pack & Go archive.

David

[Mario]

I have no clue. Most users migrated to IMatch 2023 last year, and I don't recall any case of "lost person assignments".
I see no way where IMatch would break the confirmed link between a person and a face, except the person does no longer exist or there is some other kind of problem detected during the database diagnosis.

"Recently added or modified persons" and "recently viewed" is based on the file history or person timestamp. Even when you added/modified the persons months ago, they will show in that list, because they are the most recent. Same for the views. IMatch looks at the file history and shows the last n files viewed. Whether this was yesterday or 3 months ago.

I'm not sure that I follow your Pack & Go workflow (never restore a Pack & Go package of an older IMatch version on top of a newer version!) but maybe there is an issue and the database you think was most recent is not.

Sometimes user report issues similar to this ("data loss") and then realize that they have accidentally opened an older or the wrong database.

[lumacraft]

I mirror the folder containing my current iMatch databases from my workstation to my file server on an automated weekly schedule. So, before I restore my January Pack & Go backup of Personal, I will use the most recent mirrored copy of it to recreate what I did earlier today and this time will more closely observe what happens in terms of database conversion and diagnostics.

When I do restore Personal from its latest Pack & Go package, I will be sure to recover it to a new location separate from all other iMatch databases.

My Pack & Go workflow is a bit different, I suppose. Among other things, I always use Pack & Go to backup just one database (plus iMatch settings) at a time immediately after I have finished operating on it, with each database having its own folder for its series of retained .impag files. This way, if and when something goes south with a particular database, I can quickly and clearly assess where I stand in terms of its backups.

David

[lumacraft]

I got two surprises when I opened the mirrored copy of database Personal.

One, it was clear that the database upgrade that I had observed was required because, contrary to my recollections and to my reasoning, this was the first time that the database was being used with iMatch 2023. I am sorry for my confusion.

Two, this time the upgrade process ran differently than it did this morning, taking longer, followed by many updated folders being detected and many updates being made to the database, neither of which happened at when I opened Personal this morning. The big happy surprise though was that this time the face data was intact and as expected!

Perhaps the main copy of the database had become corrupted somehow prior to the upgrade, or this morning's upgrade process halted early for some reason. In any case, everything now seems to be back to normal.

Robust backup workflows to the rescue once again!

David

[Mario]