Overview

BTField’s SQL Server database can be configured with multiple storage drives to hold significant volumes of geophysical data. By default, BTField stores data on the installation drive. If your system has additional drives available (e.g., external USB drives, secondary internal drives, or network-attached storage), you can configure BTField to use them for data storage.

This is particularly useful when:

  • The installation drive has limited free space
  • You are collecting large volumes of survey data in the field
  • You want to separate the operating system and application files from survey data

Accessing Storage Settings

From the BTField General Settings dialog, click the Storage Settings button.

BTField General Settings dialog showing the Storage Settings button
Click the Storage Settings button from BTField General Settings.

You will be prompted to enter an admin password. Please contact BTG to obtain this password.

Additional Storage Configuration

After entering the admin password, you are presented with the Database Settings window where Additional Storage Configuration can be made.

Database Settings window showing Additional Storage Configuration
The Additional Storage Configuration dialog with one additional drive configured.

Each row in the configuration has the following fields:

Field Description
can add Checkbox to enable a storage location.
Store # The UNC path to the parent of the BTG Workspace folder on the drive.
Free space to leave (GB) The amount of free disk space (in GB) that should always remain on the drive. BTField will stop writing to the drive when this limit is reached.

The Default storage row at the top represents the installation drive. Additional drives are listed as Store 1 through Store 9.

Configuration Example

In the example shown above:

  1. The installation drive (\\BEANS) has its Free Space set to 300000 GB — this is a very high value that effectively prevents BTField from storing data on the installation drive.
  2. Store 1 is configured with the UNC path \\Beans\f (the F: drive), with a Free Space reserve of 30 GB.

BTField will store data on the installation drive until only 300 GB remain, and then continue storing data on Store 1 (the F: drive). When Store 1 has only 30 GB remaining, BTField will move to the next enabled drive in the list. If all configured drives have reached their free space limits, the user will be warned that no space is left.

Removing a Storage Drive

To remove a drive from the storage configuration, uncheck its can add checkbox and clear the UNC path field. Click OK to save the changes.

Notes

  • BTField fills drives sequentially — it uses the installation drive first, then Store 1, Store 2, and so on, moving to the next drive when the current one reaches its free space limit.
  • Ensure that any external or network drives are connected and accessible before starting BTField, and that they remain connected during operation.
  • Up to 9 additional storage drives can be configured.
  • Use the Report button in the Database Settings dialog to run a diagnostic on your storage configuration. It validates all configured UNC paths (checking they exist, are accessible, and have sufficient free space) and checks whether any survey data on those drives has a mismatched store index. Results are displayed in a Status Viewer window. If everything is healthy and consistent, it will report “store indexes validated”.
Tags: