Lost data entry

Because we run a number of complex systems and databases, some of which share a common server, you may come across error messages about certain files, pages, records being locked by another user. (Sometimes, annoyingly, that other user is you!)

If you encounter such error messages, it is sometimes possible to lose a whole bunch of data that you have just typed in. 

We strongly suggest that you do three things to mitigate this risk:

1. Save your data is you move between machines
2. Save your data if you have just typed in a lot at once
3. You can copy/paste current data into a temporary note
   • Click on the field with lots of data
   • Press Ctrl-A to select all text within that field
   • Press Ctrl-C to copy to the clipboard
   • Open MS Word or OpenOffice document
   • Press Ctrl-V to paste from the clipboad
   • Press Ctrl-S to save it 
   • Choose a local folder on the machine, not a cloud service like Dropbox. 

Now if the application crashes while you are trying to fix the error, at least you can retrieve it instead of having to type it in again.