Created multiple ENEX files when exporting

[notetakeingguy 90]

I export my notes often. Today, for the first time, when it created the ENEX file, it created 6 ENEX files, each starting with the same name, [2], [3], [4], etc, all about the same size. I'm used to ONE .enex file. And what I exported isn't that large compared to other things I've exported. Can someone explain if something has changed or if I am doing something differently?

[jefito 5,589]

Evernote added a limit to .ENEX file sizes because some .ENEX importers couldn't handle large sized files, so large .ENEX exports are now split in the way you describe. To stop Evernote from splitting .ENEX exports, go to Tools / Options /Note; in the "Note merge options" section, look for "Split export enex files by [] MB" and set the value there to 0.

Reference: 

 

[DTLow 5,736]

1 hour ago, notetakeingguy said:

I'm used to ONE .enex file.

@jefito provided the solution above, but have you tried to use the "ONE .enex file"?

Evernote aborts when I import a large .enex file on my Mac

[dcon 166]

When importing, evernote loads the entire enex file into memory first (before parsing). Evernote is a 32bit process. So if you have a large enex, you will fail to load it. You can use a single large file as a backup mechanism, but you're not going to be able to get that back into EN...

[CalS 5,280]

14 minutes ago, dcon said:

When importing, evernote loads the entire enex file into memory first (before parsing). Evernote is a 32bit process. So if you have a large enex, you will fail to load it. You can use a single large file as a backup mechanism, but you're not going to be able to get that back into EN...

Existentially, what is a backup that can't be restored...  

[jefito 5,589]

2 gigabytes should be enough for anyone, am I right?

Loading a .enex file entirely into memory would be a problem; is that a property of a library Evernote is using? Notes are discrete in ENML, so enex file format parsing should be able to be done by streaming the file from disk in a single pass fashion

One single export is not such a great idea, mainly because notebooks are not preserves in ENEX files. I automate my backups with a PowerShell script that uses ENScript to export individual notebooks. So far, my largest notebook falls well under the 2GB limit.

[CalS 5,280]

I was able to import a 16 GB ENEX backup of a notebook containing 20 k notes to recover a single DAA delerte,.  Must have been a lucky day.  

I use Backupery which does export by notebook and has an options to export by note.  Never wanted that many files to be created but maybe its worth giving it a try just in case.  Runs in the middle of the night so hopefully no biggie other 44 K files getting created versus 8.  

[DTLow 5,736]

47 minutes ago, CalS said:

has an options to export by note.  Never wanted that many files to be created ...

My restore requirements are for the content of individual notes  
I backup my data by note; 20k notes = 20k files (more for attachments)
I wouldn't be restoring an entire database, or an entire notebook***

***An exception is for Local Notebooks.  A full notebook resore may be required
I use my raw database backup for this purpose

>>Existentially, what is a backup that can't be restored...  

I also find backups more useful if the data is readable
For this reason, I use html format and individual note backup
- readable by Evernote or any web browser app

[Don Dz 165]

16 minutes ago, CalS said:

I was able to import a 16 GB ENEX backup of a notebook containing 20 k notes to recover a single DAA delerte,.  Must have been a lucky day.  

I guess Note History has its limits.  Backupery seems like a better investment.

[jefito 5,589]

16 minutes ago, CalS said:

Never wanted that many files to be created but maybe its worth giving it a try just in case. 

It's the omission of the notebook names that makes me split up my exports, Bug of a head-scratcher as to why they're not included, since tags are, but not a huge hurdle to overcome. I don't have all that many notebooks anyways.

[DTLow 5,736]

1 hour ago, jefito said:

One single export is not such a great idea, mainly because notebooks are not preserves in ENEX files. 

Note Id is also not preserved

Instead of restoring notes, importing a .enex file creates new notes in a new notebook

[jefito 5,589]

2 minutes ago, DTLow said:

Note Id is also not preserved

Yeah, that's drawback #2, because internal links. But I guess it would be a problem if you had more than one distinct notes with the same note ID.

3 minutes ago, DTLow said:

Instead of restoring notes, importing a .enex file creates new notes in a new notebook

Yep, that's why exporting on a notebook-by-notebook basis at least allows you to get your original notebooks back.

[CalS 5,280]

2 hours ago, Don Dz said:

I guess Note History has its limits.  Backupery seems like a better investment.

Note history is great other than it does not help if you go stupid and accidentally delete a note and clear Trash.  Personal backup is the only recourse at that point.  And BU is painless in the background at 1 AM in the morning.

Also re note history, I find linking to spreadsheets in a cloud service is better than storing them in a note.  You lose the indexing of the spreadsheet but you gain an update for every time you open/close the spreadsheet.  Particularly for oft used spreadsheets.  FWIW.

[CalS 5,280]

2 hours ago, DTLow said:

My restore requirements are for the content of individual notes  

Ditto, it's just how do you want to find the note.

[dcon 166]

10 hours ago, CalS said:

Existentially, what is a backup that can't be restored...  

I know first hand... way back when, I had a tape backup system for my DOS system. When I needed it, I discovered it was write-only.

[CalS 5,280]

1 hour ago, dcon said:

I know first hand... way back when, I had a tape backup system for my DOS system. When I needed it, I discovered it was write-only.

Yeah, been there myself when the special moment hits....

[jefito 5,589]

1 hour ago, dcon said:

I know first hand... way back when, I had a tape backup system for my DOS system. When I needed it, I discovered it was write-only.

DOS? You must be old...

Computer for my first job: http://oldcomputers.net/compaqi.html. Tape drive? Thing didn't even have a hard drive!!

[PinkElephant 8,072]

Back to the topic: For my Win10 PC I’ve created a backup job to my NAS running on Acronis True Image. Since I use Acronis for most of my Backups, it was a natural choice. It saves only the EN data folder in an incremental job. I think it is enough to be able to restore the data, and have the chance to go back in time.

The Backups from the NAS are then cumulatively backupped on single HDDs to create a second backup, stored remote and rotated. Because EN has an own and remote backup on its servers, this would probably not be necessary for the EN backup. But it is easier to grab everything under the BU user of the NAS, than try to sort it out.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

For the Mac: It is Time machine to the NAS, plus Acronis True Image from there to the rotated, remote HDD, together with the PCs Backups. I am using iCloud for most of my active files, so I anyhow have another set of data there. But it does not grab the EN data from the Mac, so this is covered by the Time Machine process.

To make sure the way back works, I am relying on the function of Time Machine. This I did not try. I have tried a restore from Acronis, this worked like a magic. One can go down on the folder and file level and pick what is missing, or make a complete roll-back. For me this was the decisive issue to pick Acronis over other backup programs.

[PinkElephant 8,072]

Just as my personal opinion: I do not understand why for backup purposes the ENEX export makes sense. A backup for me is a flat process that creates a file that can be used for restore. I do not need and do not want individual stuff as a backup - I just need a good restore process that allows a full rollback or if needed a selective pick of data to be restored. For me it serves my purpose well if I can decide about this in case I need to go to the backup - not when making the backup.

The ENEX process is very useful if you want to move data from EN somewhere else, individually or as a full export of all your data.

[jefito 5,589]

5 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

Just as my personal opinion: I do not understand why for backup purposes the ENEX export makes sense.

Plain and simple: it's a safety net for capturing your note content, and it's also a way of storing your notes in a simple, machine readable format that would allow someone to convert to some other format, in case that's necessary. It is not a full-blown backup system.

Quote

Back to the topic: 

Indeed, back to the topic, which is, if you return to the original post, a question about why a user was getting multiple .enex files when they used to get a single one, and nothing at all about other people's backup schemes, associated hardware, etc., etc. The actual topic question was actually answered pretty quickly and fully. Most of the rest is really only tangentially germane.

[DTLow 5,736]

4 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

To make sure the way back works, I am relying on the function of Time Machine. This I did not try.

Restore from Mac Time Machine backups works well.  
I've restored the entire database, individual notes, attachment files, ...

>>A backup for me is a flat process that creates a file that can be used for restore.

I'm also interested in access to my data if Evernote is not avaliable

[PinkElephant 8,072]

EN in this respect is a client executed on my Mac or PC. It executes without an internet connection. So I can always restore the database from a backup (if needed) and get access to it by the EN client. 

Where is the necessity to file it away in a format that other programs can read day by day, when this3rd-party access is nothing I do or need ?

If EN as a company would go offline tomorrow, I would still have my local app and my local copy of my data. IMHO Enough time then to export and search for alternatives.

[dcon 166]

10 hours ago, jefito said:

DOS? You must be old...

LOL. I started programming on Windows in 1992 (for AT&T/theychangedtheirname/NCR). Win3.1.

[DTLow 5,736]

3 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

EN in this respect is a client executed on my Mac or PC. It executes without an internet connection. So I can always restore the database from a backup (if needed) and get access to it by the EN client. 

Catch-22; Account login requires an internet connection and access to the Evernote servers  ☹️

[jefito 5,589]

59 minutes ago, dcon said:

LOL. I started programming on Windows in 1992 (for AT&T/theychangedtheirname/NCR). Win3.1.

Ha, I have you beat in that respect: it was '83 for me, a summer job for a small company writing a word processor for DOS 1, using the afore-mentioned "portable". No Windows until '90 or so, while I was working on this: https://winworldpc.com/product/delorme-street-atlas/10

[dcon 166]

22 hours ago, jefito said:

while I was working on this:

I remember that! I owned a number of versions of it. Still like how it determines estimated drive times better than what Google does now... (since it uses, by default, lower speed limits, it effectively accounts for stop lights - which google maps obviously doesn't - since my ETA always slips when I'm caught at a light!)

(I actually started fulltime AT&T in 89, started as a contractor there in 87)

[CalS 5,280]

22 minutes ago, dcon said:

I remember that! I owned a number of versions of it. Still like how it determines estimated drive times better than what Google does now... (since it uses, by default, lower speed limits, it effectively accounts for stop lights - which google maps obviously doesn't - since my ETA always slips when I'm caught at a light!)

Yeah, I speed a bit to compensate.  Kind of like rallying, adjust the driving to hit the time.... 

[dcon 166]

11 minutes ago, CalS said:

adjust the driving to hit the time.... 

Wait, what? Must. Beat. The. Estimate! (yeah, not happening on my commute... 16mi on a 65mph highway - I'm lucky if it only takes 45min.)

[CalS 5,280]

Always been an early riser.  Easier to beat on the way in than on the way out.  

[jefito 5,589]

5 hours ago, dcon said:

I remember that! I owned a number of versions of it. Still like how it determines estimated drive times better than what Google does now... (since it uses, by default, lower speed limits, it effectively accounts for stop lights - which google maps obviously doesn't - since my ETA always slips when I'm caught at a light!)

The original release was pretty primitive, mostly just for  viewing; routing & navigation came later. What was really cool, initially, though was that the US data pretty nearly filled up an entire CD, among the first to do that. At the time, it was unique, and at $125 purchase price it was like printing money for a few years. Later on the competition came and drove down the prices, and eventually Google came, and the market disappeared. The company lingered on and eventually was bought out by Garmin. They still make these though, if you're into paper (many people still are, including me).

[PinkElephant 8,072]

The first CD-based telephone book of Germany was created by a company that took all printed phone books, shipped them to China and had them typed by hand into a simple database. It was on several CDs. Reason was the companies selling the printed stuff did not want to canibalize their own business by an easy to copy CD edition. They even sued the guys who made the CDs for „copyright“ violation. Nobody was talking Internet at that time.

In the company I was working for in these days they had a proprietary system for workshops with the spare part catalogue, as well on CD-ROMs. It was a customized tower with 11 drives, one above the other. Our department was somehow involved in testing, and they forgot to take the equipment back.

So the spare parts stuff was taken out, the CDs with the complete German Phonebook went in. It was sort of a grey installation, running in the company network but not documented.

For quite a while we leveraged the favor of getting access to the virtual phone book in the company dealings of that days against other „favors“. It was amazing what you could get for the chance to look up aunt Minnas phone number and address online. Good ol‘ days ...