There are two ways to request a copy of your Slate database:

• Hold Snapshot: A snapshot of your database at a moment in time. You can mount this snapshot as a Hold Environment that expires after one week.

• Downloadable backup: A copy of your database that you can mount as a SQL Server database locally.

You might pursue either of these options for reporting purposes, as part of a litigation hold (also known as a preservation order or hold order), or for any other reason.

Hold Snapshots

🏗️ This feature is not currently accessible

Keep up with the latest feature releases in What’s New.

A Hold Snapshot is a preserved backup of your database at a specific point in time.

Unlike Time Warp, these snapshots are not automatically associated with an environment. Instead, you can mount this backup to a Hold Environment to access the snapshot’s data.

To purchase a Hold Snapshot:

1. Go to Database → Test & Other Environments.

2. Select the Learn more about each environment type link at the top of the page.

3. Select Purchase.

4. Configure the following settings:

   • Type: Hold Snapshot

   • Snapshot Date: Select a date from the list

   • Name/Email/Phone: Enter the contact information of the individual to whom the snapshot invoice should be sent.

5. Select Save.

Hold Environments

To access your Hold Snapshot as a Slate environment, you can provision a Hold Environment and mount the snapshot to it.

Hold Environments are like Test Environments in that:

• Communications do not send from the environment

• Some automated processes are suspended

• You can run queries, export data, review mailings, and search for person records

Unlike Test Environments, Hold Environments expire one week from provisioning unless they are refreshed.

Provisioning a Hold Environment

🔑 Required permission: Security Administrator

To provision a Hold Environment:

1. Go to Database → Test & Other Environments.

2. In the Hold Environment section, select Provision.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Source: Select a Hold Snapshot to mount to the Hold Environment. If the Snapshot says it is awaiting preservation, check back later.

   • Initial Administrators: Select the Slate users who should have access to the Hold Environment. Security Administrators have access by default.

   • Memo: Enter an optional memo to appear to users prior to requesting a refresh of the environment.

     

4. Select Provision.

📝 Provisioning a Hold Environment may take up to three hours.

To access the environment, select Launch Environment.

Refreshing an existing Hold Environment

Refreshing a Hold Environment resets its expiration date and restores it to its state at first provisioning:

1. Go to Database → Test & Other Environments.

2. Next to Launch Environment, select the arrow.

3. Select Request Refresh.

4. Enter an optional memo, visible to the next user who requests a refresh.

5. Select Request Refresh.

📝 Refreshing a Hold Environment may take up to three hours.

Download your database as a backup file

You can also download a backup file of your database for local use.

With this backup file, you can recreate your underlying Slate database via a restore command. You can query data with SQL queries, but you will not be able to interact with records through the browser as you would normally.

To use a downloadable backup, you must mount the database and interact with it with SQL. While Technolutions cannot provide support for you to do this, your IT staff may be able to assist.

To proceed with this option, submit a ticket under the category System Access - Litigation Holds and Database Backups. In the ticket, please include the following information:

• A Slate Security Administrator who will perform the download

• Your desired as-of date. We will provide the weekly backup file from the Sunday preceding that date.

We’ll provide your Security Administrator with a secure link to download the database backup as a SQL Server .bak file that lets them download the file within 7 days of the link being provided.

While the backup file is encrypted in transit, it should only be downloaded to a secure location that provides all necessary data protections.