Database Maintenance and Data Preservation

[Howquez]

We will be performing essential database maintenance on Friday, November 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM CET. During this time, the system will be temporarily unavailable, and all data will be
permanently deleted, including:

• All participant data and responses
• All session records
• All session links and configurations

Action Required:

Please take the following steps before the maintenance window (we recommend these steps after running a study anyways):

1. Download Your Data

• Access the oTree admin interface for each of your sessions
• Download and save all participant data and session records
• Store these files securely for your records and analysis

2. Archive Your Session Links

• For each condition/variant of your study, archive at least one session link using a web archiving service
• This is important for future reference, peer review, and replication purposes
• Recommended services:
  • Web Archive (archive.org) - Free and widely recognized
  • Perma.cc - Designed specifically for academic and legal preservation

Why This Matters:
Archiving your session links ensures you have a permanent record of how your study appeared to participants, which is valuable for research transparency (peer review and replication purposes).

Important Notes:

• No new studies should be launched during the maintenance window
• The system will be unavailable during the reset
• The maintenance will take about three hours

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about the process, need help downloading your data, or have concerns about data preservation, please reach out to us.