Understand QC Backup Manager Backup Profiles

A QC Backup Manager Profile is a reusable backup policy. Instead of choosing every backup setting again each time, you select a Profile and QCBM uses the rules stored in that Profile.

Profiles matter for both manual and scheduled backups. A clear Profile design makes Backup History easier to understand, keeps recurring protection consistent, and reduces the chance that one administrator runs a backup with different exclusions or archive settings than another.

The Three Included Profiles

QCBM includes three core Profiles so a new site can immediately create the main types of Backup Set:

  • Full Backup - Database and Files protects the Joomla database and site files together.
  • Database Only protects database objects without archiving the site files.
  • Files Only protects the Joomla filesystem without including the database.

Basic can use and edit the included Profiles. Pro and higher can add additional Profiles and use automation features such as exact schedules, Profile retention, and automatic off-site export.

What a Profile Controls

A Profile can hold more than its backup type. Depending on the current tier and feature set, Profile configuration can include:

  • title, description, internal notes, ordering, and publication state;
  • Full, Database Only, or Files Only backup type;
  • archive strategy;
  • split-archive behavior and split-size settings;
  • folder exclusions;
  • file-extension exclusions;
  • manual, hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly scheduling;
  • the exact minute, time, weekday, or day-of-month needed by that schedule;
  • retry timing after a failed scheduled attempt;
  • maximum retained Backup Set count;
  • maximum local-storage amount for retained backups;
  • automatic off-site export after a successful verified backup.

How Profiles Affect Manual Backups

When you create a manual backup, you select a published Profile. QCBM uses that Profile's backup type and saved processing rules. You do not select the Profile and then separately choose a different backup type.

This means a Profile should be named clearly enough that an administrator knows what it will do before starting the job. For example, Weekly Full Off-Site communicates more than Profile 4.

How Profiles Affect Scheduled Backups

For eligible paid tiers, a Profile can define an exact automatic schedule. The Profile tells QCBM when that backup occurrence is due; the Joomla Scheduled Task provides the recurring execution opportunity that lets QCBM notice and process due Profiles.

Do not confuse the Joomla task polling interval with the Profile backup time. The task can run repeatedly while the Profile still specifies the exact scheduled occurrence in the Joomla site timezone.

Edit an Included Profile

  1. Open Components > QC Backup Manager > Profiles.
  2. Locate the included Profile you want to review.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Confirm the backup type matches the Profile's intended purpose.
  5. Review archive and split-archive settings.
  6. Review folder and file-extension exclusions carefully.
  7. For eligible tiers, configure schedule, retry, retention, and automatic-export options.
  8. Make sure the Profile is published.
  9. Save the Profile.

Be Conservative with Exclusions

Exclusions can reduce backup size and avoid unnecessary working data, but an exclusion also removes data from the recovery set. Do not exclude a folder or extension merely because it looks large or temporary unless you understand whether the site needs it after recovery.

When in doubt, test the resulting Backup Set and recovery workflow on a disposable destination before making an aggressive exclusion part of a production schedule.

Use Archive Auto Settings Unless You Have a Tested Reason Not To

QCBM includes automatic archive and split-archive choices so the extension can select an appropriate strategy for the site and environment. Custom split sizes can be useful for large sites or transfer constraints, but they should solve a known problem rather than be changed casually.

After changing archive behavior, verify the resulting Backup Set and make sure the Recovery Package still downloads and validates as expected.

Configure Retention as a Policy, Not a Cleanup Shortcut

Profile retention determines which completed backup artifacts QCBM can remove as new backups accumulate. Retention can be based on a maximum Backup Set count and eligible local storage limits.

Retention removes eligible backup artifacts; it does not erase the permanent run ledger used by the Backup Log. That distinction lets you keep operational history even when older Recovery Package files have been aged out.

Automatic Off-Site Export

An eligible Profile can automatically export a backup after the local Backup Set has completed and verified successfully. Configure and test the destination before enabling this behavior.

Local backup success and off-site export success are separate outcomes. If the remote provider rejects a transfer, the verified local Backup Set can still remain valid while the export requires attention.

Create Additional Profiles with a Clear Purpose

Useful custom Profiles are usually organized around business intent rather than simply duplicating the defaults. Examples include:

  • Nightly Database Backup for frequent database protection;
  • Weekly Full Off-Site for a complete scheduled recovery point;
  • Before Deployment for manual release protection;
  • Monthly Full Retained for a longer-lived periodic recovery point.

A smaller number of well-named Profiles is easier to audit than many overlapping Profiles with unclear differences.

What Happens After a Downgrade

If a site later loses access to a higher tier, QCBM is designed to preserve saved Profiles and operational history. Higher-tier actions can become unavailable, but the extension does not need to destroy configuration simply because the effective tier changed.

Community Discussion

Want to compare Profile strategies or scheduling patterns? Visit the QC Backup Manager Community. For private support, bug reports, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.