TrackVia allows you to copy a single record, a view, a distribution schedule, or an entire database.

Copying a record. To copy a record, first edit the record, then look for the copy link in the upper right. The copied record differs from the original in a few ways. First, a new record locator number is assigned to the copy. Second, the Created By field in the copy is set to the current user (that is, the user requesting the copy), and the Created Date and Updated Date fields are set to the current date and time. Finally, the History section of the original record is not copied, but a note is inserted in the copy's History section with a link back to the original record. All of the other fields in the copied record will be identical to the original.

Copying a view. To copy a view, first edit the view, then look for the copy link in the upper right. The copy will have the same columns, filters, and formats as the original view. However, the word (COPY) will be added to the view's name, and the owner will be set to whomever created the copy.

Copying a distribution schedule. To copy a distribution schedule, first edit it, then look for the copy link in the upper right. The copy will have the same delivery options and recipient list as the original distribution schedule. However, the word (COPY) will be added to the distribution schedule's name, and the owner will be set to whomever created the copy.

Copying a database. To copy a database, first edit the database, then look for the copy link in the upper right. When you copy a database, you are given the following choices (the database setup, user permissions, views, view distribution schedules, and records) for what you would like to be copied with the database.

The database setup checkbox is always checked. This is because copying a database always creates a new database with the same field names, data types, drop-down box choices, etc. as the original. (Of course, you can modify the new database however you wish after it is created.) The new database name will have the word (COPY) added to it. Note that the email collecting options (the second tab of the edit database page) will not be copied into the new database – those will have to be set up manually if you want the new database to also receive email.

The user permissions checkbox tells TrackVia to create the same user permissions on the new database as existed on the original database. This only affects normal users, since administrative users can access any database. Check this box if the copied database will be accessed by the same people as the original database, in the same ways.

The views and view distribution schedules checkboxes tell TrackVia to create views and distribution schedules in the new database using the same names, filters, display options, schedules, etc. as the views in the original database. If this is not checked, the new database will have only the default built-in views that any new database would have.

The records checkbox will tell TrackVia to make copies of every record in the original database and load those copies into the new database. If this is not checked, the new database will be empty. If it is checked, the new database will have the same number of records as the original. (Of course, editing the records in the copied database will not affect the records in the original database, and vice versa.)

The records in the copied database will have different record locator numbers than their counterparts in the original database. However, the Created By, Created Date, and Updated Date fields will have the same values as the originals. This can be misleading – the new records were just created, so an old Created Date is technically incorrect – but it's useful for preserving the way the records are sorted and filtered in various views. The History section of the records will not be copied, and (unlike what happens when copying a single record) a note will not be added to each new record that links to its counterpart in the original database. Therefore, it is not obvious to a casual observer that a copied record is a copy of a record in a different database.

CAUTION. Because of these factors, care should be taken to limit access to a copied database, or to avoid confusing it with the original. Copying a database is a useful feature, but it can invite mistakes if your entire team is not clear on the intended purposes of the original and the copy.