Exporting call logs, text messages and other info from a Blackberry

I need a way to extract the record of calls I've made and received on my Blackberry. It would also be handy to be able to archive old text (SMS) messages and other info. In addition to providing a good record of the time and duration of your calls, it's also nice to have an archive of your text messages going back over time.

After searching for a while, I came across a couple of ways to do this. The first way is an app called SBSH Historia which you can buy on Blackberry App World for a couple of €€/$$. This looks like a neat app, and very professional, but I didn't need to pay for it in the end as I found a way to do it for free using the Desktop Manager software on my Mac and a Java app called ipddump I found on Google Code.

Here are the instructions for how to do it on a Mac. The Windows procedure is broadly similar.

Step 1 - Extracting the Call Log to your Mac

1. Start Blackberry Desktop Manager on your Mac.

2. Now plug your Blackberry into your Mac (or connect via Bluetooth if that's the way you do it). If it normally auto-syncs when you plug it in, let it finish.

3. In Blackberry Desktop Manager, go to Device -> Back Up Data...

4. Click the "Selected Data" option, scroll down to "Phone Call Logs" and select it by clicking the check box.

5. Make sure the "Encrypt backup file" box below is NOT selected.

6. Alter the "Backup File Name" so you the file is clearly identifiable - I do this by putting "Call Log" on the end of the filename.

7. Click "Back Up" and Blackberry Desktop Manager will get to work extracting the log to your computer. Wait until it's done.

8. Now go to the Blackberry Desktop Manager menu in the app and select Preferences. Make a note of where backup files are stored in the Backup Location box. It's usually /Users//Documents/Blackberry Backups but you could have specified another location.

On a Windows PC, similar steps should apply in Desktop Manager.

Step 2 - Making the Desktop Backup File Readable

Blackberry Desktop Manager stores its log files in a type of file called an IPD file, which is some kind of old format used for storing pager messages back 10-15 years ago. The IPD file is kept inside a folder structure inside the zipped-up Backup file itself. So you're going to have to find the file and extract it before you can view it. Here's how you do it:

1. Open Finder on your Mac and navigate to the location where Blackberry Desktop Manager stores your backup files. On my Mac this is /Users//Documents/Blackberry Backups - you should be able to see it in your home directory.

2. Locate the backup file you have just created - if you followed the way I recommended it will easily identifiable as it will have "Call Log" at the end of the name. The file will end with .bbb (on a PC this may just be .ipd).

3. Copy the backup file to somewhere you can work on it easily. Your desktop is a pretty easy place.

4. Once you've moved the file, click on it once and change the .bbb part of the filename to .zip - yes, that's right, it's already zipped up and you're changing the filename so that your zip program will recognise it.

5. Now double click the zip file to unzip it. It will leave you with a folder of files.

6. Double click the folder and then click on the "Databases" sub-folder. You should see a file called Databases.ipd - this is the file you need.

Step 3 - Viewing and Saving the Call Log to Another Format

Now you've isolated your call log file, you need to be able to view it and save it in a useful format. I use the excellent ipddump utility for this. As it's a Java executable it should work equally well on a Mac as on Windows. Here's how to do it.

1. Go to the ipddump site on Google Code and download the latest version to your usual download location on your Mac.

2. Double-click the IpdDumpXXXX,jar file to run it. As long as you have a Java Runtime installed this should work fine, although it may take a few seconds to start up.

3. You should see the IPDdump program window open up.

4. Click on File -> Open and then navigate to where you unzipped your Desktop Manager backup file in the previous section.

5. Double-click the Databases.ipd file and ipddump should read in the call log.

6. Now you can select all or some of your calls and then go to File -> Save Selected As to save them as a text file, XML file or CSV doc for import into a spreadsheet.

On a Windows machine the procedure should be pretty similar, just find the .ipd file and open it with ipddump.

Hope this helps, and let me know if there are any comments or questions.