Chapter 7 Computer-Aided Drafting and Design
165
is not lost. It is defi nitely to your advantage
to follow your instructor’s fi le storage and
organizational techniques without variation.
Not following an accepted protocol may result
in you having to refer to the old saying—“If
you do the crime, you will pay the time!” In
other words, if you don’t consistently save
and back up your work often, there is always
a chance that you will end up doing it again.
A typical protocol for achieving safe and
reliable fi le storage may include the following:
1. Save your work every 15 minutes.
2. Save fi les to a network server rather than
a local hard drive. Save to a network
server with automatic fi le backup
capability, if possible, to ensure fi le security.
3. Back up work weekly to another location
separate from the network server, such
as one or more portable media devices.
Work can be saved to CDs, DVDs, or
fl ash drives.
This is just a sample protocol and will
probably vary based on your unique situation
and your instructor’s recommendations.
When work is completed on a project and
the fi les do not need to be used on a daily basis,
an electronic fi le archive is typically created.
An electronic archive typically consists of all
of the fi les related to a single project. This may
involve hundreds of fi les and many different fi le
formats. Some CAD programs provide special
tools for creating fi le archives. No matter what
method you use, there are several important
points to keep in mind.
Files to be archived must be saved in a
format and on electronic media that will
be compatible with computer software and
hardware of the future. Hence, the long-
term usefulness of CAD fi les is of greater
consequence than how much storage space
they require. As with fi les in a currently active
project, archived fi les must be accessible so
that they can be located, opened, and edited if
needed. The same fi le naming conventions, folder
organization practices, and backup procedures
used for active fi les should also be applied
when assembling an electronic archive.
features based on the fl oor layout. If the fl oor
plan is “referenced” by the electrical plan, it
becomes a “dependent” of the parent fi le.
When opening the parent fi le (the electrical
plan), the software must be able to locate the
reference fi le (the fl oor plan). If the fi le cannot
be located, you must supply the fi le path. This
is another reason to maintain an orderly fi le
storage system. Make sure to organize your
projects so that fi les referenced by other fi les
can be located by the software.
Saving, Backing Up, and
Archiving Files
Whether working with manually created
drawings or CAD fi les, the need for secure,
organized archives of original drawings is of
utmost importance. Storing manually created
drawings in physical fi les requires a secure
facility, adequate organizational techniques,
and plenty of space. At the same time, proper
storage of CAD drawings creates an entirely
different set of problems and challenges.
Since CAD drawings are electronic fi les,
there must be a means of storage that protects
against cybertheft, hardware failure, and fi le
damage. Preventing the loss of work is a primary
concern in every project. As most computer
users are no doubt aware, computers do
go down periodically. Hardware fails and
occasionally, power fails. Hours of work can
be lost in the blink of an eye if fi les are not
saved to hard drives and servers frequently.
It is for these reasons that most CAD fi rms
establish a protocol of fi le storage and backup
strategies. This protocol usually requires that
employees save and back up their work at
regular intervals. Generally, these strategies
are very in-depth routines. A good fi le storage
protocol is designed so that everything possible
is done to guarantee that valuable work and
hours are not lost.
Your CAD instructor will probably set up
a similar protocol for saving and backing up
fi les. Methods will vary, but fi les are typically
saved on a network server and backed up
to another location so that valuable work
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