In switching from v.5 to v.6, does one have to reset all the preferences that were established in the older version or is there "carry-over" so that just "new features" or editing existing features would be done?  Or do we have to start from scratch?

Do the current settings and policies that we have in version 5.5.6 stay when we upgrade to version 6.0 or will we have to reset them?

You will not need to reset all of your preference settings when moving from v5 to v6, however you may need to reset some of them.  For example, your Patron policies and Item policies will carry over to v6 but any v5 Circulation policies will need to be reentered in v6 as Policy Exceptions. 

For this reason we recommend that, when you have moved to v6, you review all of your System Preference settings to be sure that everything is as you would like it to be.  Additionally, as noted in the Preferences Webinar, there are new settings/options to consider throughout the System Preferences area of Alexandria.  You will want to make decisions with regard to these settings that will ensure that Alexandria will continue to effectively serve your needs.

In covering the Rebuild feature, the trainer mentioned a recommendation for some, that rebuilds be done "twice a month"---yet there is no "biweekly" option in the drop-down menu??

As shown below, by selecting the Weekly option in the Repeat drop-down menu, setting the Every field to 2  as well as indicating which day of the week on which you wish to have a Rebuild performed, you will have scheduled a Rebuild to run on the selected day of the week, every two weeks or, in other words, “twice a month”.

Will 6.0 have an automatic backup feature?   It sure would be a very nice addition.

Actually, that option already exists.  Before we discuss how this can be done, let define some terms.  A Backup is a copy of your Data or Archive folder that is saved to an off-site location (not in the same building as your Alexandria DataStation/Server) or a portable devise, such as an external HD or a flash drive.  An Archive is a copy of your data saved locally, i.e. on your DataStation.  Alexandria allows you to schedule Archives to be run on a regular basis, optimally, on everyday you use the program. Within your System Preferences, you may setup your Archive path in such a way that your Archives are saved to an off-site location or a portable devise thus becoming a Backup of sorts.

The problem with relying on using the Archive as your sole backup is that you may run multiple Archives in a day when you are doing many imports and utilities and, depending upon the number of Archives you have instructed Alexandria to keep, you may overwrite some or all of the Archives from previous days.  We recommend that you have a backup copy of your data for every day for the last five days and a "Friday" backup for all other weeks since you have performed your last Rebuild.  For instance, if you run Rebuild once a month / every four weeks, then you would want to have on hand copies of your Data folder or Archive folder for each Friday for the weeks following the Rebuild AND a copy of your Data folder or Archive folder for the last five days, so a total of 8 each representing a different date.

Will these webinars ever be saved somehow on the COMPanion website so that they can be used as references in the future?

Efforts are already underway to produce a recorded copy of each v5 to v6 Webinar that will then be placed on the COMPanion/Alexandria website for easy access.