User Guide - Ascendo DataVault for Mac OS

Ascendo DataVault is a secure password manager that allows you to store personal information such usernames, passwords, PINs, etc. using the most powerful encryption technology.

You can store up to 10 fields and additional notes with each Item. For example, a health insurance item may include your subscriber number, group number, plan, primary physician, etc. You can change the icon and field labels for each item.

Items can be organized into categories and types. Examples of categories could be "Personal" and "Business". Examples of types could be "Credit Cards", "Logins" and "Memberships". Classifying items using categories and types provides an intuitive way to organize, display and find your confidential information.

DataVault provides a set of templates that can be used to enter similar items more quickly by providing default field labels. For example, you may have several logins that each have a username and password. Creating a login template allows you to create new logins without having to re-enter each field labels.

You can display Items in list view or tree view. List view displays each item in a separate row with columns for each field, similar to a spreadsheet. Tree view displays items as branches in a tree where the first level is category, the second level is type and the third level is the item. The tree branches can be expanded or collapsed individually or all at once.

You can find items quickly by typing characters into the search field at the top of the main window. The list or tree of items reduce to display only items containing the search string.

DataVault includes numerous features to manage the security of your information such as field masking, password hint, security timeout and a customizable password generator.

DataVault for Mac OS can be synchronized with DataVault for iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad (sold separately). The DataVault desktop allows you to import data and synchronize it with DataVault for iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad.

To install DataVault on a Mac, follow the instructions on the FAQ page to download DataVaultSetup.pkg then double-click on the filename and follow the prompts.

By default, DataVault will be installed in the Mac OS Applications folder. You can select a different folder by clicking on the "Change Install Location ..." button when prompted, see image below.

During installation, an encrypted file called DataVault.db is created in the Documents folder. You can make a copy of this file to use as a backup. If you erase this file and restart DataVault, a new file will be created with sample items.

Once you have completed Installation, you can start DataVault by opening the Applications directory and clicking on DataVault.

DataVault for Mac OS comes with a 30-day trial period during which time you can use the application for free. To use DataVault beyond the trial period, you must purchase the application. When you purchase the application, a registration key will be sent to you by email. Please keep a copy of the order confirmation and registration key. The registration key will be necessary should you need to reinstall DataVault at a later time.

During the trial period, a registration window will appear each time you start DataVault. The number of days left in the trial period will appear in the text above the registration field. To use DataVault without registering, click on the "Register Later" button. To register DataVault, enter the registration key and click on the Register button.

When you start DataVault for the first time, you will be prompted to create a master password and an optional hint question. Choose a master password and enter it twice to make sure you don't make a mistake, then click on the Ok button.

DataVault will display sample items, categories and types in a tree formation, see image below.

To create an item, click on the "Add Item" button in the toolbar along the top of the main window.

To edit an item, double-click on the item name in the tree or list. Alternatively, you can click on Edit button in the toolbar to modify the highlighted item.

To delete an item, highlight the item name in the list or tree and click on the Delete button in the toolbar.

To expand or collapse branches in the tree, click on the folder icons. To collapse or expand all levels in the tree, tap on the "Expand All", "Collapse All" buttons below the tree.

To switch between viewing modes, click on the "Tree View" or "List View" buttons in the toolbar.

DataVault protects your confidential information by requiring you to enter a master password each time you start the application. The master password is used to encrypt and decrypt your data. When you first start DataVault, you will be prompted to select a master password, then enter it a second time to make sure you don't make a mistake.

You can change your master password at any time by selecting "Change Password" from the File text menu.

A password hint is an optional security setting that you can use to obtain your master password if you forget it. The password hint consists of a question and answer of your choosing. For example, you might enter "What was my fist telephone number?" as the question and then enter the correct answer to be stored in DataVault. If you forget your master password, you can click on the "Password Hint" button in the login window. DataVault will display the hint question and prompt you for the answer. If you enter the correct answer, your master password will appear.

To create a password hint, enter a question and answer when setting up your master password.

To create an item, such as a credit card or login, click on the "Add Item" button of the toolbar.

To modify an item, double-click on the item name in tree or list view (left-hand panel). Alternatively, you can click on the item name to highlight it, then click on the Edit button in the toolbar.

To change an item icon, click on the icon in the upper-left of the item details form. An icon matrix will appear. Click on an icon to select it and return to the item details form.

To modify an item name, field labels, field contents or notes, click inside the field and start typing.

If you enter a string of characters into the field contents starting with "http://", DataVault will assume it is an internet address (URL). After saving the item, the URL will be displayed as underlined text. This signifies that you can click on the link to open your browser and go to the web page.

To use a template, click on the arrows to the right of the template field and select from the drop-down list. Choosing a template will automatically fill the form with a default icon, field labels, category and type. For more information, please see the Templates section.

To choose a category or type, click on he arrows to the right of the field and select from the drop-down list. Selecting a category and type will determine the position of the item in tree view.

When you are done editing, click on the "Save Item" button in the bottom-right of the screen to make the changes permanent or click on Cancel.

To delete an item, click on the item name in tree or list view then click on the Delete button in the toolbar.

To view items in a tree formation organized by category and type, click on the "Tree View" button in the toolbar. If the number of items exceeds the screen size, a slider bar will appear to the right of the tree. Use the slider to move up and down the tree.

To expand or collapse a level in the tree, click on category or type folders. To expand or collapse all levels in the tree, click on the "Expand All" or "Collapse All" buttons below the tree.

You can change the position of types and items using drag & drop. To move a type, click and hold a type folder, then drag it over a category and release it. To move an item, click and hold an item name, then drag it over a type folder and release it.

To view items in an alphabetical list, click on the "List View" button in the toolbar.

If the number of items exceeds the screen size, a slider bar will appear to the right of the list. Use the slider bar to move up and down the list. Use the horizontal slider bar at the bottom of the list to move across fields.

To hide the item details form and maximize the space available to display item fields, click on the "Hide Details" button in the lower right of the screen, see image below. The button will change to "Show Details". Click on the button again to display the item details form.

To find an item, click inside the Search field in the toolbar and begin typing. Each time you type a character, the tree or list of items will reduce to include only items containing the search string. For example if you type "car", items such as "Mastercard" and "Car Registration" will appear in the list. Clicking on the Escape key will clear the search field and display all items.

Items can be grouped into categories such as Business, Personal, etc. Each category can include several types such as Credit Cards, Logins and Memberships. An Unfiled category and Unfiled type are created when DataVault starts for the first time. These folders cannot be deleted.

To add, edit or delete, click on the Category or Type buttons in the toolbar. If you delete a category or type, DataVault will ask you if you want to move the items to the Unfiled folder or delete them permanently.

Templates allow you to set default icons and field labels for items that are similar. For example, all credit cards have a number, expiration date and security code. Instead of entering the same field labels each time you create a credit card item, you can select the Credit Card template which will fill the field labels automatically.

The password generator can be used to suggest new passwords based on user-defined settings, see image below.

You can set the length of a password and choose the types of characters it contains. When you have finished choosing password settings, click on the Regenerate button to display a new password.

A strength meter displays whether the password is "Weak", "Good" or "Strong". The longer the password and the more types of characters you include, the stronger the password is.

When you have created a password that you want to use, click on the "Copy & Close" button to copy the password to the Mac OS clipboard. The password generator window will close and you can click in Command-V to paste the password into an item form. Click on Cancel to close the password generator without copying the password to the Mac OS clipboard.

DataVault monitors your usage to determine if there are periods of inactivity that may indicate you stepped away from your computer. After an inactivity delay of 5 minutes, DataVault will close the main window and display the master password login window.

Masking field values displays the characters as stars. You can toggle between "stars" and the the actual field contents by clicking on the mask button to the right of the field. This can be useful if you are concerned that somebody see a password while you are using DataVault.

To mask a field click on the mask icon to the right of the field value in the item details form. Click once to mask the field and a second time to unmask the field.

The Mask button in the toolbar will toggle all masked fields in list view and in the item details form.

You can create a secure copy of all the items, categories, types and templates stored in DataVault using the backup feature. You can restore the data from this backup in case your computer is stolen, your hard drive crashes or you change computers.

To backup your data, click on the File option in the DataVault text menu, then select Backup. Your data will be encrypted using your master password. To restore the data, select File > Restore and enter the master password used to backup the data.

DataVault for Mac OS allows you to import and export items in DataVault Exchange format (DVX). To export data from DataVault, click on Tools > Export... in the DataVault text menu.

To import a DVX file into DataVault for Mac OS, select File > Import DVX from the text menu. DVX files do not contain category and type information for items.

DataVault for Mac can be synchronized with DataVault for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch and DataVault for BlackBerry. DataVault provides two-way synchronization allowing you to add, edit or delete items on your desktop and handheld device. In addition, DataVault provides conflict resolution so that if you modify an item on your handheld and desktop you can decide which version to save.

Synchronizing between two versions of DataVault requires that you use the same password. Several synchronization methods are available depending on your computing environment. Some may require user configuration to function properly. Troubleshooting tips can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions pages (FAQs) located on the Support Page.

To synchronize over a Wi-Fi connection, start DataVault for Mac and select File > Wireless Synchronization from the menu bar. Then start DataVault on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, tap on the tools icon and select Synchronize from the menu list. The Sync Services screen will appear displaying a list of devices detected on your wireless network. Select the Mac desktop on which DataVault is running, then verify the IP address and tap on the Synchronize button.

Alternatively, you can enter the IP address before selecting a device on your Wi-Fi network by tapping on the "Manually" button on the Sync Services screen. Entering an IP address manually will allow DataVault for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to connect to DataVault for Mac over a fixed line (Ethernet) cable but requires your Mac to have a fixed IP address.

iPads running OS 3.2 or above can use application file sharing to synchronize using iTunes by following the steps below.

To synchronize over a Wi-Fi connection, start DataVault for Mac and select File > Wireless Synchronization from the menu bar. Then start DataVault for BlackBerry and select Advanced from the main menu. Click on Connection Settings and select Wi-Fi. Now enter the IP Address and click on Connect.

To synchronize over email, start DataVault for BlackBerry and select Advanced from the main menu. Select "Sync over Email" then enter your email address and click on Send. When you receive the email, save the attachment to a folder on your hard drive.

Start DataVault for Mac, select File > Import from DVX and select the file you sent by email. When the first step in the synchronization has been completed, you will be prompted to send desktop modification back to your BlackBerry by email.

Open the email on your Mac and double-click on the attached DVX file. Enter your DataVault master password when prompted. Resolve any conflicts in the data by selecting the versions that you want to keep.

When synchronization is completed DataVault for Mac will prompt you to Send an email back to your BlackBerry to complete the synchronization process. Enter your BlackBerry email address and send the email back to a handheld. Open the email on Blackberry, then open the attached DVX file. This operation will complete the synchronization process by adding the appropriate desktop modifications to your BlackBerry.

The Help option in the DataVault text menu provides access to a search field, online user guide and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page containing up-to-date troubleshooting tips.

Entering text into the search field will display a list of DataVault menu options containing the search string. Highlighting an element in the list will show you where it appears in the DataVault menu.

Clicking on "Online User Guide" or "Online FAQ" will open your browser and go to the appropriate page on the Ascendo web site. Alternatively, you can click on the Help button in the toolbar to go directly to the online user guide.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties and you are not able to find solutions in the user guide or FAQ page, please send an email to wallet_support@ascendo-inc.com.

For all other comments, suggestions or inquiries, please email info@ascendo-inc.com.

User Guide - Ascendo DataVault - Password Manager for Mac OS

Table of Contents