Univik BUSY Data Recovery Toolkit for Windows
At a Glance
Key Features
Opens Company Folders Directly
Point the viewer at a folder such as COMP0001. It reads the db.bds settings file and the year files like db12022.bds that sit beside it.
At a Glance
Univik BUSY Data Viewer in Numbers File types, export formats, version and price in one row
2
File Types
.bds and .mdb company files, from the folder kept for each company.
0
Program Installs
Reads the company folder itself. No accounting program and no licence on the PC.
4
Export Formats
Excel, CSV, JSON and PDF with a licence.
6.10
Current Version
Built for Windows 11 or 10 with .NET Framework 4.8.
$0
To View Data
Opening data is free. The trial caps each export at 10 items per section and licences start at $99.
Key Features
What Univik BUSY Data Viewer Does Six jobs the software handles when the original program is missing
Browse Accounts, Items and Vouchers
A dashboard and separate views list the accounts, the items and every transaction. Narrow the vouchers by date range or by voucher type.
Flags Deleted and Edited Vouchers
Switch on deleted vouchers and each one carries a flag: Deleted, Deleted incomplete, Header lost, Renumbered, Amount edited or Edited.
Shows the Audit Trail and Activity Log
The audit records stored in the company file get a view of their own. Read who changed what with no accounting program open.
Leaves Your Files Untouched
The company folder opens read-only. Nothing is repaired, converted or rewritten, so every file keeps the state it arrived in.
Free to Browse, Paid to Save
Every section opens without a licence. Saving the data is a licence feature of the same software, described on the BUSY Data Converter page.
The Core Problem
The Core ProblemWhy Can't BUSY Data Be Opened Without BUSY?
Because a .bds file is a database with a renamed extension, and only the vendor's program presents it as a company. Two things leave people stuck with their own books.
Trap 1: Other Tools Cannot Read the File
Excel does not open a .bds file as a workbook. Power BI users on Microsoft's community forum describe the same dead end: no connector accepts a .bds file.
Trap 2: BUSY Exports One Report at a Time
Alt+E sends one report to Excel. The vendor says its XML export suits moving data between two installations only, per the vendor's backup and export FAQ.
The Fix: Open the Company Folder Straight From Disk
Univik BUSY Data Viewer reads the .bds files itself, so it needs no other program. Our advice: work on a copy. Copy the company folder to a local drive, open the copy and keep the original untouched. The tool writes to neither.
“Before this viewer shipped we ran it on three BUSY 21 companies, 6,411 vouchers in all. Every one balanced. Wrong figures on screen do more harm than a missing viewer, so we counted first and polished the screens later.”
What It Opens
What It OpensWhich Files Does the BUSY Data Viewer Open?
db.bds
Company Settings File
Holds the company name, the financial year start and the user list. The vouchers sit in the year files.
db12022.bds
Financial Year File
One file per financial year. The number after db1 is the year it starts in, so db12022.bds is 2022-23.
.mdb
Older Company Files
Older releases kept company data in .mdb files. The viewer opens these like the .bds ones.
COMP0001
Company Folder
One folder is made per company and numbered COMP0001, COMP0002 and so on. Select this folder in the viewer.
Three Steps
Three StepsHow to Open BUSY Data Without BUSY
View the data on a PC that has no accounting program on it, straight from the company folder.
1
Install the Viewer
Run the setup on a PC with Windows 11 or 10. Nothing else needs installing.
2
Choose the Company Folder
Select the company folder, such as COMP0001. If the folder came from another PC or a pen drive, copy it over first.
3
Browse the Company
Open the dashboard and the transactions, accounts, items and audit views. Saving needs a licence.
Download the Free BUSY Data Viewer
Windows 11 or 10 · nothing else needed · read-only · questions answered by the Univik support team
Real Situations
Real SituationsWhen Do You Need a BUSY Data Viewer?
A Client Sends Their COMP0001 Folder
A CA or auditor has no accounting software on the office PC. Open the folder as it came and read the accounts and vouchers before the first meeting.
Who Deleted or Changed That Voucher?
A manager suspects a bill was edited after posting. The viewer flags edited, renumbered and deleted vouchers and lists the audit trail beside them.
Only the Old Files Survived
The old PC is gone and a pen drive holds the data folder. See what is inside before you set the software up again.
Finding Your Files
Finding Your FilesWhere Does BUSY Keep Its Data on Your PC?
Where to look
The data lives in the folder set under Company > Set Data Directory. Each company is kept in its own numbered folder inside it, such as COMP0001. Each financial year has a file such as db12022.bds.
Lost the path? Search the drive for db.bds. Inside the vendor's program, pick the data folder and not the company code, per its backup and restore FAQ. The .bds file guide explains what each file in the folder holds.
Compare Your Options
Compare Your OptionsBUSY or a BUSY Data Viewer? How it compares with the vendor's own program and with Excel or Power BI
Keep the vendor's program for daily accounting. Use Univik BUSY Data Viewer when it is missing from the PC or a full financial year has to be read in one go.
| What you need | Open It in BUSY | Excel or Power BI | Univik BUSY Data ViewerFREE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Express is free, other editions are paid | Excel or Power BI licence | Free to view, export from $99 |
| Needs the vendor's program installed | Yes | Not applicable, the file will not load | No |
| Reads the .bds company file | Yes, inside the program | Not directly | Yes |
| A full year in one run | No, one report at a time | Not applicable | Yes, as an Excel workbook or CSV files |
| Flags deleted vouchers | Audit trail report | Not applicable | Yes, with a status flag |
| Writes to the company folder | Yes, every entry changes it | Not applicable | No, read-only |
| Export formats | Excel per report, XML between installations | Not applicable | Excel, CSV, JSON and PDF with a licence |
Vouchers get entered in the vendor's program, whose audit trail report lives under Reports > Checklist, per its audit trail page. The viewer reads the books when the program is missing. A service such as Busy2Tally is built for moving the data into Tally, which is a different job.
What You Need
System Requirements Four points to check before you install Univik BUSY Data Viewer
Windows and .NET
Windows 11 or Windows 10 hosts it. A .NET Framework 4.8 runtime (or newer) must be present as well.
Nothing Else to Install
The vendor's program can be absent from the PC, with or without a licence.
Folder Access
Permission to read the company folder is all the viewer asks for. Files on a pen drive or a network share work after a local copy.
Paid Tiers Cover Saving
Opening data costs nothing. Saving needs a licence. Personal costs $99 for 2 PCs, Business $199 for 10 PCs and Forensics $299 for 50 PCs.
| Product | Univik BUSY Data Recovery Toolkit, viewer module |
| Current build | 6.10 |
| Runs on | Windows 11 and Windows 10 |
| Needs | .NET Framework 4.8 or later |
| Reads | Company folders holding db.bds and the db1YYYY.bds year files, and older .mdb files |
| Saves to (with a licence) | Excel, PDF, CSV and JSON |
Questions
QuestionsBUSY Data Viewer Questions
Run the Univik BUSY Data Recovery Toolkit setup on a PC with Windows 11 or 10, then point the viewer at a company folder such as COMP0001. It reads the .bds files directly, so no other program has to be on the PC. Viewing is free.
Yes. Univik BUSY Data Viewer lets you browse every section without a licence. Saving is the paid part: the free build keeps the first 10 items of each section and the Personal licence at $99 for 2 PCs lifts that limit. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies.
The BUSY data viewer opens company folders that hold .bds files, and older .mdb files. A folder such as COMP0001 holds db.bds for the settings and a year file such as db12022.bds for each financial year.
Univik checked the viewer on BUSY 21 data: 3 companies with 6,411 vouchers, all balanced. It opens .bds company folders and older .mdb files. If a folder from another release does not open, send its file names to Univik support.
Yes. Univik BUSY Data Viewer comes in a digitally signed installer and opens company files read-only. All of the work happens on your own PC, with no internet connection needed to read a company.
No. Univik BUSY Data Viewer reads the company folder on your own PC and sends none of it anywhere. It works offline, so a client's books or an employer's books never leave the machine.
No. The BUSY data viewer opens files in read-only mode and writes nothing back. It does not repair, convert or rewrite anything, so the company folder stays as it was.
The BUSY data viewer has a dashboard and views for transactions, accounts, items and audit records. Vouchers filter by date and voucher type.
Yes. The BUSY data viewer shows deleted vouchers when you choose to include them. Each one then carries a status flag such as Deleted, Renumbered or Amount edited. They stay hidden until you switch them on.
BUSY keeps data in the directory set under Company > Set Data Directory, with one folder per company and COMP0001 for the first. Search the drive for db.bds if the path is lost.
Not directly. Power BI users on Microsoft's community forum say no connector accepts a BUSY .bds file. The viewer opens the files instead and saves Excel, CSV, JSON or PDF with a licence.
No. BUSY is where vouchers are entered and reports are filed. The viewer is for reading a company when the program is not on the PC, and it never writes entries back.
No. Univik is not affiliated with BUSY. The viewer reads the company files on its own.
No. Univik BUSY Data Viewer targets Windows 11 and 10 only. On a Mac, use a Windows virtual machine or move the company folder to a Windows PC.
More Tools
More ToolsMore Univik BUSY Data Tools
Reviewed by Nick Rogers Founder, Univik
Fact Checked 11 Oct 2026
Nick Rogers, who founded Univik, signed off this page on 11 October 2026. Leena Taylor Paul tested the viewer on BUSY 21 company folders: 3 companies and 6,411 vouchers, every voucher balanced. Vendor facts come from its help pages, linked where they appear. The viewer never changes company files. Licences come with a 30-day refund policy.
Updated on 11 October 2026
Univik Since 2013Files Stay UnchangedDigitally SignedLocal Processing30-Day Refund
Univik is not affiliated with BUSY. BUSY is a trademark of its owner.