Archiving vs Exporting vs Database Backup

Dear Forum:

I am trying to get a handle on Davinci Resolve 16 and have been scouring the manuals concerning archiving, exporting and database backup. I come from using Premiere Pro and am trying to get used to Davinci's workflow and such. Please help me understand the following:

1) Exporting a project to a safe location backs up that project as far as edits, timelines, etc. If I want to open the exported project in another computer running Davinci, I can assume it will work provided I have all the captured clips available and the original database holding that exported project, correct?

2) Archiving a project does the same as exporting except it also saves all the captured clips as well and I must ensure I have the disc space to handle the whole thing.

3) Exporting a project is useless unless I also back up its corresponding database? So I should back up the database that holds the project contained within that database? If I just backed up my database to a new computer and tried to open a project in that new computer running Davinci Resolve, will the projects be safe within the database backup or must I separately export projects as well?

I hope I am making sense to those from whom I seek assistance.

Thank you for your time and patience.

HUgh

A database contains some system settings and defaults, as well as all projects created in that database. A backup contains the same, in compressed form. The backup can be restored on that system, or any other.

A project backup (.drp) can be imported into any database. It doesn't depend on the original database.

An archived project contains everything needed to reconstruct the current timelines/project on any system. Restoring it will add the project to then current database.

Thank you kindly, Mr. Paines. That clears it up.

assumeing the target machine has database the same or newer than the source machine's database

opening a v16 DRP on a machine with v15 database is not going to work

opening a v15 DRP on a machine with v16 database is going to work

Thank you. I probably won't run into that issue because I am not on a server with other editors in a commercial environment nor do I swicth computers frequently. I wanted to back up my database for safety reasons and because I installed new hard drives.

school of hard knocks teaches one that no backup is really a backup unless it's been restored and validated

in the case of Resolve database backup's that's really worth following, not trusting blind trust

D

Hi guys,
I just wanted to double verify as I will be going through a 'new drive - clean install' process soon. All my source media is stored on D: drive and will stay that way on the new system.
If I use Export Project and get the DRP file, I can just import it on my new system and everything will be fine?
Thanks!

Hello:

I am not an expert by any means but I have been practicing with version 16 and these are my findings: (Please correct me if I am wrong so I do not hinder the gentleman making his inquiry)

1) If you back up a DATABASE on a separate drive then you will (hopefully) be able to re-open that databse and ANY projects files saved within that database on the same or newer version of Davinci Resolve.

2) If you export (essentially a "backup") a PROJECT to a separate hard drive then you can reopen that PROJECT within any databse you have on any computer.

3) If you ARCHIVE a project, you essentially BACK UP the DATABASE, all the PROJECTS within that database AND all of the video files associated with that project.

1) If you back up a DATABASE on a separate drive then you will (hopefully) be able to re-open that databse and ANY projects files saved within that database on the same or newer version of Davinci Resolve.

2) If you export (essentially a "backup") a PROJECT to a separate hard drive then you can reopen that PROJECT within any databse you have on any computer.

3) If you ARCHIVE a project, you essentially BACK UP the DATABASE, all the PROJECTS within that database AND all of the video files associated with that project.

1) yes

2) yes, with the proviso that you should assume projects created in later database versions won't open in prior ones. Projects created in earlier versions should open without issue in later database versions.

3) Archiving a project doesn't archive the database. An archive includes media and a copy of the project. Restoring the archive will place the project inside the then current database.

Thank you. The exact answers I sought.

Apologies for hopping on this old thread. Given that we're now on DRS 18.x, I assume the basics of export/archive remain similar?

I'm about to go thru a migration from PC (Win 11) to a new Mac M3-based. Does the "export-archive" / "import-archive" method give me a clean way to migrate projects (incl all source media) without a whole bunch of messing with file-paths (e.g. D:\... to a Mac OS style path), assuming I have the buffer disk-space to afford those large-ish archives?