What is the difference between ATLAS.ti Desktop cloud storage and ATLAS.ti Web?
What is the difference between ATLAS.ti Desktop cloud storage and ATLAS.ti Web? How can I sync or transfer my projects across computers and/or ATLAS.ti platforms (Windows, Mac, Web)? How do I work in a team with a mix of platforms?
To start off, let's briefly outline the different options you have for backing up your projects and/or working on the same project across different computers:
- If you are working in ATLAS.ti Desktop: Upload your project to the cloud storage, then download the project in ATLAS.ti Windows/Mac on another computer. Alternatively, you can export your ATLAS.ti Desktop project, then import it into ATLAS.ti Windows, Mac, or Web (on any computer). ATLAS.ti Windows and Mac have 100% transferability back and forth between them.
- If you are working in ATLAS.ti Web: You do not need to do anything. All of your projects are automatically saved and accessible online (just log in to your ATLAS.ti Web account on any computer with internet access). Teams can thus collaborate in real time, because anyone's changes are automatically saved and updated in the project that everyone is working together on.
- If you are working in both ATLAS.ti Desktop and Web: Export your project from the first platform (Windows, Mac, or Web), then import it into the second platform you wish to work in (Windows, Mac, or Web). Please keep in mind that ATLAS.ti Web does not support all the ATLAS.ti Desktop features, you can see a comprehensive overview here.
To understand this more deeply, let's take a quick look at the main differences between ATLAS.ti Desktop, ATLAS.ti Web, and the project cloud storage option available in ATLAS.ti Desktop.
ATLAS.ti Desktop refers to ATLAS.ti Windows and ATLAS.ti Mac, which are software applications natively designed for optimal functionality in their respective operating system. ATLAS.ti Desktop saves projects on your local computer to ensure both data privacy and offline availability. The classic method for backing up or moving your projects consists of exporting the project and then saving it wherever you prefer (e.g., in an external hard drive, an online cloud storage, sending it via email, etc.). With the release of ATLAS.ti version 23, ATLAS.ti Desktop now includes the option to save your projects in an online cloud storage.
ATLAS.ti Web is the fully online platform of the software, which was also natively designed from the ground up to provide you the additional option of working completely online without having to download or install any software to your computer. You can log into ATLAS.ti Web to create projects, analyze your data, and extract meaningful insights and outputs from your research. Since everything is saved online, your projects are immediately accessible from any computer with an internet connection. You can see a comprehensive overview of the features in ATLAS.ti Desktop and ATLAS.ti Web here.
How does the ATLAS.ti project cloud storage work exactly?
From the ATLAS.ti Windows/Mac home screen, you can see all of the projects on your computer, and you can choose to also upload any of your projects to the project cloud storage (click on the three circles next to the project name and choose "upload"). Your project cloud storage is tied to your same ATLAS.ti account.
After uploading a project, you can then open ATLAS.ti Windows/Mac on another computer, log into your ATLAS.ti account, and download your project. When you're done working on your project, just upload it to the cloud storage again so that you can access your latest changes from any computer.
- Click here to see more details about the project cloud storage in ATLAS.ti Windows
- Click here to see more details about the project cloud storage in ATLAS.ti Mac
Please keep in mind that the project cloud storage only stores ATLAS.ti Desktop (Windows/Mac) projects: ATLAS.ti Web projects will not appear in your ATLAS.ti Desktop project storage, and your ATLAS.ti Desktop projects in the cloud storage will not appear in ATLAS.ti Web. For this, you need to export the project from one platform and import it into the other (i.e., option #3 above).
How might you then share your project with others for teamwork?
To collaborate with others on a project in ATLAS.ti Desktop, you can invite them to your ATLAS.ti Desktop project. From the ATLAS.ti Windows/Mac home screen, click on the three dots next to your project name, and select "Share".
A personalised link is then generated that you can send to the other person. Sharing this link creates a copy of your project that is independent of your project and private to the person you sent it to. This means that invitees can make changes to the project without worrying about interfering with your work (and vice versa).
To pass the project back to you, the other person can invite you to their project, and you can then view their project and merge it into your project if you wish. You can find more detailed information about using ATLAS.ti for teamwork here.