Best Practices

Successful imports and exports require careful planning and attention to detail. This guide covers the most important strategies to ensure smooth data transfers, avoid duplicate records, and maintain data integrity in your UAV Desk account.

1. UAV name matching is critical

For EdgeTX imports: The drone name in your UAV Desk account must exactly match the model name in EdgeTX. This includes:

• Uppercase / lowercase (case-sensitive on most systems)
• Spaces and special characters (e.g., "FPV-250", not "FPV250")
• No extra spaces or trailing characters

Example: If your EdgeTX model is named "Bixler", your UAV in UAV Desk must also be named "Bixler", not "bixler" or "Bixler 2" or "Bixler (old)".

If the names don't match exactly, the flight import is skipped with an error message. Check your UAV names before starting an EdgeTX import.

2. Register UAVs before importing flights

Always register your aircraft in UAV Desk before importing flights from any source. This is especially important for EdgeTX and telemetry imports.

When you import a flight, UAV Desk looks for a matching UAV by name (or serial number for ZIP imports). If no match is found, the flight is rejected. Registering first ensures:

• All imported flights are associated with the correct aircraft
• Maintenance logs and reminders link to the right UAV
• Flight statistics and reports are organized by aircraft

See Adding & Editing UAVs for guidance on registering new aircraft.

3. Duplicate detection prevents data loss

UAV Desk automatically detects and skips duplicate records. Duplicates are identified by:

• Flights: Same UAV + departure date + time + landing time
• Maintenance logs: Same UAV + event date + type + description
• Reminders: Same UAV + component type
• UAVs: Same serial number or (name + manufacturer)

This means:

• If you accidentally import the same file twice, the second import is safely skipped
• When migrating accounts or merging data, matching records are not duplicated
• You can re-import a folder (e.g., annual flight logs) without worrying about creating duplicates

After import, check the result summary to see how many records were skipped. This tells you what was already in your account.

4. Regular exports are your safety net

Create periodic backups using Export All Data:

• Monthly: Export at the end of each month after flying season or maintenance events
• Before major changes: Export before bulk edits, UAV decommissioning, or account migration
• Quarterly: Export at least every 3 months for long-term archival

Store backups in multiple locations:

• Your computer (local folder)
• Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)
• External hard drive or USB drive (for critical records)

Naming convention: uav-data-export-YYYY-MM-DD.zip (e.g., uav-data-export-2026-02-20.zip).

5. Test your backups

A backup is worthless if you can't restore it. Periodically:

• Test importing an old backup into an empty test account (or a second browser profile)
• Verify that all data appears correctly (UAVs, flights, maintenance logs, with correct counts)
• Check that GPS telemetry, configuration files, and attachments were restored properly

This practice catches corruption early and ensures you can recover data when needed.

6. Handle errors gracefully

If an import fails or shows errors:

• Read the error message: It usually indicates the specific problem (file format, missing column, quota exceeded, UAV not found, etc.)
• For name matching errors: Check that UAV names in your import file match exactly (case and spelling) with registered UAVs
• For format errors: Verify that CSV files have the correct columns, UTF-8 encoding, and proper delimiters
• For quota errors: Check your subscription quota. Delete old data or upgrade your plan to make space
• For partial imports: Useful data was imported; check the result summary to see what succeeded and what was rejected

7. Organize imports by time or source

If you're importing data from multiple sources or time periods, consider organizing by naming or tagging:

• Multiple transmitters? Add a transmitter identifier to UAV names (e.g., "Bixler-TX1", "Bixler-TX2") before importing, then consolidate later if needed
• Historical data? Import chronologically (oldest to newest) to maintain a clean timeline
• Collaborative data? Import each colleague's backup separately, then review for duplicates and conflicts

8. Telemetry size and subscription limits

Telemetry data (GPS tracks and instrument readings) consumes storage quota in your subscription plan:

• Basic plan: Limited telemetry storage
• Professional plan: Moderate telemetry storage
• Enterprise plan: Unlimited telemetry storage

If you hit your quota:

• New imports will fail with a quota-exceeded error
• Older telemetry may be automatically archived or deleted
• Upgrade your subscription plan to increase storage space

To save space, you can delete telemetry from old flights (using the Delete GPS Track button in flight detail) or export and archive old data separately.

9. Pre-flight checklist before bulk imports

Before running a large EdgeTX or ZIP import:

1. ☐ Export current data: Create a backup of your current account state
2. ☐ Register UAVs: Ensure all aircraft are registered with correct names and serial numbers
3. ☐ Check UAV names: Verify that transmitter model names match UAV Desk names (for EdgeTX)
4. ☐ Verify file format: CSV files have correct columns; ZIP files contain expected folders
5. ☐ Check subscription: Verify you have a paid plan and sufficient quota
6. ☐ Keep browser open: Don't close the browser tab during import
7. ☐ Review results: After import, check statistics to confirm expected counts and look for errors

10. Account migration strategy

If moving to a new UAV Desk account or organization:

1. Export your current account using Export All Data
2. Create or log into your new account
3. Register all UAVs in the new account with the same names and serial numbers
4. Use ZIP Import to restore your backup
5. Review the import result for any errors or mismatches
6. Verify that all flights, maintenance logs, and reminders appear correctly

If you manually edit UAV names, serial numbers, or other identifiers in the new account before importing, your duplicate detection strategy may change. Plan carefully to avoid unexpected duplicates or mismatches.

Summary

The key principles for successful imports and exports:

• ✓ Match UAV names exactly (case and spelling)
• ✓ Register UAVs before importing flights
• ✓ Export regularly and test backups
• ✓ Use duplicate detection as a safety mechanism, not a limitation
• ✓ Monitor quota usage and subscribe to appropriate plans
• ✓ Read error messages and fix root causes
• ✓ Keep a pre-import checklist to avoid mistakes