Project won't open

[charlottemol]

Hi all!

I was working on importing PDF files when I got an error message: "DatabaseError: database disk image is malformed". I then decided to close the project through Project > Close project. Now I can't open the project anymore, Whenever I click on Project > Open > then the file nothing happens except the Action log showing: "Closing project: xxxx.qda". I can open other projects, just not this one. Is there something I could do to open it again? Or do I have to revert to one of the back-ups?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[ccbogel]

It sounds like the database (data.qda) is corrupted:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5274202/sqlite3-database-or-disk-is-full-the-database-disk-image-is-malformed

It would be best to revert to a backup and work from there. I also think you should make more regular backups (and store in different locations) for safety.

[charlottemol]

Thank you! I reverted to a back-up and haven't had problems since. Have made sure to save more backups!

[ccbogel]

Great, continue with the good data management practice!
There can be many reasons for the database file to be corrupted. Over the years, this is the first instance of this problem being described.
Other things such as power fluctuations/failure, bad sectors on disk drive / ssd drive etc can also be a cause. Also using the QC project over a network (i.e. not stored locally on the immediate computer) - this is an issue if a network connection is lost and QC is in the middle of shuffling data around in the database. Using the project file directly from a flash/USB drive is also a problem.