I understand that PAF offers a "log file" (.pal) parallel to the database (.paf). I had a look into this log file - it shows just the facts that a person's data have been inserted/modified/removed, but not the details of this change. So you are forced to use a separate means like PAF Insight to compare two "generations" of the database to see the differences in case you must - e.g. after a crash or after you mis-updated the PAF file - go back to an earlier generation and re-apply all or selected changes. And this must be done step by step, manually! When I see a .paf file as a database which has a logging facility I normally expect that a recovery takes place in the following way: First: restore an older generation of the .paf file; second: re-apply all (automatically) or selected (e.g. from the beginning until a explicitely named transaction) transactions from the log file(s) which have been created from the first update to this particular generation onwards. This in mind I cannot see the .pal file functionality as a real logging facility; it's just a means which can tell you: have a look at RIN or MRIN number ...: at ...date... ...time... there have been changes. Will a successor of PAF5.2.18 have a real logging facility which such a complicated database is worth to have? -- Nikolaus (Ordemann) http://privat.genealogy.net/ordemann Die genealogische Ordemann-Homepage The (German language) genealogical Ordemann homepage