Backups run automatically as part of the service. On top of that you can download a full copy of your database from Store Config → Backup Database, export items, customers, sales and more to Excel, schedule emailed reports, or feed a continuous copy to another system through the API.

Your point of sale holds the record of your business — every item, customer and sale. This page covers three related things: how the service backs your database up for you, how to download a full copy of that database yourself, and the exports that put individual pieces of your data (spreadsheets of items, customers, sales…) in your own hands.

The short version of the philosophy: your data is yours. The backup download and every export are built into the app and are never locked behind a support ticket.

Backups are part of the service

Backups of your store's database are done automatically as part of the hosting. You do not schedule anything, rotate anything, or store anything. If something ever needs to be restored on the service side, contact support.

A service backup is not the same as a copy you hold yourself, though — the rest of this page is about keeping your own copies.

Download your own database backup

You can download a complete copy of your store's database at any time:

1. Open Store Config. You need the Store Config module permission to open this page.
2. Click the Backup Database button at the top of the page (next to the search box; it is hidden on very small phone screens).
3. The Backup Overview page opens and lists the available backup methods in order. Use option 1 — click its Backup Database button — unless it fails; if you get a blank screen or the file will not download, try the next option on the page.
4. Your browser downloads a single SQL file named php_point_of_sale_YYYY-MM-DD.sql (dated with the day of the export).

Things to know about the download:

• It is your entire database: items, customers, sales, employees, settings — and also the images and files you have uploaded (logos, item photos), because those are stored inside the database. Stores with many images, items and sales produce large files, and large files take longer to generate and download; the Backup Overview page warns about this.
• The file is a standard MySQL dump. You cannot load it back into a live cloud store yourself — it is your offline copy. If you ever need data restored from it, send it to support.
• The backup download is disabled on the public demo store.

Export your data to Excel

Every major record type exports to a spreadsheet, and each export lives on that module's list page as an Excel Export button:

Notes:

• If you do not see an Excel Export button on a list page, your employee account is missing that module's Excel Export permission — an admin can grant it under permissions and templates.
• The export format mirrors the import format, so what you export can come back in through the import wizard — see importing your data for the mechanics in both directions.
• For sales history, the reports are the richest source: pick the report, set the date range, and export.

Automate your copies

Two features can keep copies flowing without you clicking anything:

• Emailed reports — schedule reports (for example a daily sales summary) to be emailed automatically; see emailed reports and statements. The attachments in your inbox become a running archive.
• The API and webhooks — if you want a continuous copy in another system rather than periodic snapshots, the REST API and webhooks can push your data out as it changes.

A simple habit worth keeping

Even with the service backing everything up, a light export habit pays for itself:

• Download a database backup, or at least an Excel export of the affected module, before anything risky — a bulk import you are not sure about, a big price update, a reorganisation of your categories.
• Keep a periodic copy somewhere of your own: another machine, external storage, or your own cloud storage.
• If a bulk change goes wrong, support can help — and having your own pre-change export makes any recovery conversation faster and more precise.

Legacy download edition

If you run the legacy self-hosted (download) edition, backups are your responsibility: the same Store Config → Backup Database flow works, and installing the downloadable edition covers scheduled backups with mysqldump and how to restore a backup during an install or move.

Common questions

Do I need to back up my store myself? No — backups run automatically as part of the service. Downloading your own copy is optional but recommended before large bulk changes, and any time you simply want a copy in your own hands.

How do I download a backup of my database? Open Store Config, click Backup Database at the top, and on the Backup Overview page click the first Backup Database button. A php_point_of_sale_<date>.sql file downloads.

Why don't I see the Backup Database button? Opening Store Config requires the Store Config module permission, and the button is hidden on very small screens — use a desktop browser window.

The backup gives me a blank screen or won't download. What now? Try the next option listed on the Backup Overview page — the page orders methods from preferred to fallback. Very large databases (lots of images and sales) can take a while; leave the tab open. If no option works, contact support.

Can I restore a backup into my store myself? Not on a cloud store — the .sql download is your offline copy. To undo a bad bulk change, re-import a pre-change Excel export through importing your data, or send your backup file to support for a restore. Legacy download-edition restores are covered in installing the downloadable edition.

How do I export just my items (or customers, or gift cards)? Open that module's list page and click Excel Export. If the button is missing, ask an admin for the module's Excel Export permission.

Are my images included in the backup? Yes — uploaded images and files are stored in the database, so the database download includes them. That is also why image-heavy stores produce large backup files.

How do I get my sales history out? Run the sales report you need under Reports, set the date range, and use its Excel export — see running reports.