File Paths & Folders
Where ZN ERP keeps its programs, data, logs, backups and configuration on disk.
Overview
This page lists the folders and files that ZN ERP creates and uses on disk. It is mainly for system administrators — for example, when configuring scheduled backups, copying log files to support, or moving a datacenter to a new server.
All paths shown are the defaults on a standard Windows install. Your installation may vary if a custom path was chosen during setup.
Install folder
| Path | What it contains | Safe to edit? |
|---|---|---|
C:\Program Files\ZN ERP\ | The application binaries (.exe and .dll files). | No. |
C:\Program Files\ZN ERP\Plugins\ | Optional add-on modules (e-invoice connector, WhatsApp bridge, etc.). | Only via the installer. |
C:\Program Files\ZN ERP\Reports\ | Out-of-box report and invoice templates. | No — place custom templates under Custom\Reports instead. |
C:\Program Files\ZN ERP\Custom\Reports\ | Customer-specific report / invoice templates that survive upgrades. | Yes — this is where you copy customised .frx files. |
Data files (datacenter)
Each datacenter is a SQL Server database stored as a .mdf / .ldf pair.
| Path | What it contains | Safe to edit? |
|---|---|---|
C:\ZN ERP Data\<DatacenterName>.mdf | Primary data file for that datacenter. | No — detach from SQL before moving. |
C:\ZN ERP Data\<DatacenterName>.ldf | Transaction log file. | No. |
C:\ZN ERP Data\Attachments\ | Uploaded item images, scanned vouchers and e-mail attachments. | Read-only. |
Warning — never copy a
.mdf file while SQL Server is running — the copy will be corrupt. Stop the SQL Server (ZNERP) service first, or detach the database via SSM (SQL Server Manager).
Logs
| Path | What it contains | Safe to delete? |
|---|---|---|
C:\ZN ERP Data\Logs\app-yyyy-MM-dd.log | One file per day of application events. | Yes — safe to archive after 30 days. |
C:\ZN ERP Data\Logs\error.log | Rolling error log — this is the file support will ask for. | Yes, but keep the last 7 days. |
C:\ZN ERP Data\Logs\update.log | Records of every in-app update install. | Yes. |
Backups
| Path | What it contains |
|---|---|
C:\ZN ERP Data\Backups\ | Default destination for backups created via Utility › Backup. One .bak file per backup. |
C:\ZN ERP Data\Backups\Scheduled\ | Backups created by the Windows scheduled task, named <Datacenter>_yyyyMMdd_HHmm.bak. |
You can change the default location under Utility › Backup › Settings. Always store backups on a different physical drive (or cloud-synced folder) than the live data.
See How to Take a Backup and How to Restore a Backup.
Configuration files
| File | Purpose | Edit how? |
|---|---|---|
C:\Program Files\ZN ERP\xMenu.xml | The menu tree that drives the Start Menu and access rights. | Through Administration › Menu Designer — do not hand-edit. |
C:\Program Files\ZN ERP\xLicensing.config | The licence binding (Lic Name, Xn-Talk-ID, expiry). | Through Xn-Talk › Licensing — do not hand-edit. |
C:\Program Files\ZN ERP\Datacenters.json | The list of datacenters known to this client. | Edit through Datacenter Setting. See Datacenter Setting. |
%AppData%\ZN ERP\user.config | Per-Windows-user UI preferences (window sizes, recent items). | Safe to delete — will be regenerated. |
User profile folders
| Path | What it contains |
|---|---|
%AppData%\ZN ERP\Cache\ | Cached lookup data for offline use — safe to delete. |
%AppData%\ZN ERP\Temp\ | Temporary preview PDFs and exported Excel files — safe to clean. |
%AppData%\ZN ERP\XnTalk\ | Xn-Talk message history and downloaded files. |
Moving a datacenter to a new server
- On the old server, open Utility › Backup and take a full backup.
- Copy the resulting
.bakfile to the new server. - Install ZN ERP on the new server.
- Open SSM (SQL Server Manager) on the new server and restore the
.bakinto a new datacenter name. - Open Datacenter Setting, add the new datacenter and set it as default.
- Test by signing in and running a small report; once verified, update workstation clients to point to the new server.
Tip — exclude the
C:\ZN ERP Data\ folder from antivirus on-access scanning. Real-time scanning of .mdf and .bak files causes severe slow-downs and occasional locking errors.