"This Zotero database was last synced with a different account ..." Warning

IPCL
I have set up a Zotero account to host a database for my laboratory. We have a large (24000 entry) database currently held locally that a colleague has been maintaining. I would like to move the records into a Group Library in my account so that everyone can share it.
I have copied the zotero.sqlite file from by colleague to my computer to do the upload, but whenever I open the database I get a warning "This Zotero database was last synced with a different account ('username') from the current one ('IPCL'). If you continue, data associated with the 'username' account will be removed from this computer." If I accept, everything is deleted from my computer. If I cancel, I cannot sync the records from the Group Library to the cloud.
How do I get the records into the cloud?
Thank you for your help.
  • adamsmith
    Set up a second profile and add the other library there: https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/multiple_profiles
    then join a group with both IPCL and username and move the items from ICPL to the group.
  • IPCL
    Thank you for the comment, but unfortunately I am not able to understand exactly how to do this and I do not have any more experienced Zotero user to turn to for an explanation. I created a second profile but I don't understand "then join a group with both IPCL and username". I apologise for my stupidity.

    At the moment "username" is transfering all the references into the IPCL group library. It is going very slowly and Zotero has to be restarted frequently as there are syncing issues. However, we will finally finish doing this. But the user is leaving our laboratory soon and somehow we need to keep the local copy of the database for backup. If I copy the database and try to open it I am back in the situation above. In principle I could copy all the references from the group to My Library but I am afraid this will be as slow and as difficult as copying the references to the group in the first place.

    Is there any way to somehow change the database (the sqlite file) so that it appears to have last been synced by IPCL rather than the other user? If I can I could just copy the modified sqlite file to my Zotero folder rather than having to download all the references from the group library.

    Thank you for any help.
  • adamsmith
    Moving items to the group really shouldn't be that painful.

    @dstillman -- this scenario comes up often enough to probably warrant a proper solution. Any plans to implement something that allows "switching" the user associated with a database? Any scripting solution in the meantime?
  • IPCL
    Unfortunately it is painful. I have worked out a routine that works. I copy a block of about 400 references and wait for them to appear in the group library - this is very variable from a couple of minutes to 10 or more - then I close and restart Zotero and repeat. If I try to copy a second block of references without restarting Zotero simply nothing happens.
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