diff --git a/.vscode/launch.json b/.vscode/launch.json
index 6b9a0d68..95c9b301 100644
--- a/.vscode/launch.json
+++ b/.vscode/launch.json
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
         "AYANOVA_FOLDER_USER_FILES": "c:\\temp\\RavenTestData\\userfiles",
         "AYANOVA_FOLDER_BACKUP_FILES": "c:\\temp\\RavenTestData\\backupfiles",
         "AYANOVA_METRICS_USE_INFLUXDB": "false",
-        "AYANOVA_SERVER_TEST_MODE":"true",
+        "AYANOVA_SERVER_TEST_MODE":"false",
         "AYANOVA_SERVER_TEST_MODE_SEEDLEVEL":"small",
         "AYANOVA_SERVER_TEST_MODE_TZ_OFFSET":"-7",
         "AYANOVA_BACKUP_PG_DUMP_PATH":"C:\\data\\code\\PostgreSQLPortable_12.0\\App\\PgSQL\\bin\\"
diff --git a/server/AyaNova/biz/JobsBiz.cs b/server/AyaNova/biz/JobsBiz.cs
index 030a676c..45c4cdf4 100644
--- a/server/AyaNova/biz/JobsBiz.cs
+++ b/server/AyaNova/biz/JobsBiz.cs
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
         /// Make a log entry for a job
         /// (no context version)
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="jobId"></param>
+        /// <param name="jobId">(NOTE: Guid.empty indicates internal job)</param>
         /// <param name="statusText"></param>
         internal static async Task<OpsJobLog> LogJobAsync(Guid jobId, string statusText)
         {
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
         /// <summary>
         /// Make a log entry for a job
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="jobId"></param>
+        /// <param name="jobId">(NOTE: Guid.empty indicates internal job)</param>
         /// <param name="statusText"></param>
         /// <param name="ct"></param>
         internal static async Task<OpsJobLog> LogJobAsync(Guid jobId, string statusText, AyContext ct)
diff --git a/server/AyaNova/generator/CoreJobBackup.cs b/server/AyaNova/generator/CoreJobBackup.cs
index 922a58b6..fd311aae 100644
--- a/server/AyaNova/generator/CoreJobBackup.cs
+++ b/server/AyaNova/generator/CoreJobBackup.cs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
         public static async Task DoWorkAsync(AyContext ct, bool OnDemand = false)
         {
             if (BackupIsRunning) return;
-           //testing FileUtil.DatabaseBackupCleanUp(ServerGlobalOpsSettingsCache.Backup.BackupSetsToKeep);
+            //testing FileUtil.DatabaseBackupCleanUp(ServerGlobalOpsSettingsCache.Backup.BackupSetsToKeep);
             //get NOW in utc
             DateTime utcNow = DateTime.UtcNow;
             if (!OnDemand)
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
                 apiServerState = (AyaNova.Api.ControllerHelpers.ApiServerState)ServiceProviderProvider.Provider.GetService(typeof(AyaNova.Api.ControllerHelpers.ApiServerState));
                 apiServerState.SetClosed("BACKUP RUNNING");
 
+                await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, $"Starting backup job {(OnDemand ? "manual / on demand" : "scheduled") } ", ct);
+
                 log.LogDebug("Backup starting");
 
                 //*************
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
                 //this is valid on windows
                 //C:\data\code\PostgreSQLPortable_12.0\App\PgSQL\bin\pg_dump --dbname=postgresql://postgres:raven@127.0.0.1:5432/AyaNova -Fc > huge_new.backup
 
-
+                await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, $"Data backup starting", ct);
                 Npgsql.NpgsqlConnectionStringBuilder PostgresConnectionString = new Npgsql.NpgsqlConnectionStringBuilder(ServerBootConfig.AYANOVA_DB_CONNECTION);
                 var DBNameParameter = $"--dbname=postgresql://{PostgresConnectionString.Username}:{PostgresConnectionString.Password}@{PostgresConnectionString.Host}:{PostgresConnectionString.Port}/{PostgresConnectionString.Database}";
 
@@ -79,16 +81,27 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
 
                 var Result = RunProgram.Run(BackupUtilityCommand, Arguments, log);
                 if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(Result))
+                {
+
                     log.LogDebug("BACKUP SUCCESSFUL (NO ERROR)");
+                }
                 else
+                {
+                    await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, $"Error during data backup \"{Result}\"", ct);
                     log.LogError($"BACKUP ERROR: {Result}");
+                }
 
 
                 //DO FILE BACKUP IF ATTACHMENTS BACKED UP
                 if (ServerGlobalOpsSettingsCache.Backup.BackupAttachments)
+                {
+                    await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, $"Attachments backup starting", ct);
                     FileUtil.BackupAttachments();
 
+                }
+
                 //PRUNE DATA BACKUP SETS NOT KEPT
+                await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, $"Pruning old backup sets", ct);
                 FileUtil.DatabaseBackupCleanUp(ServerGlobalOpsSettingsCache.Backup.BackupSetsToKeep);
 
 
@@ -107,6 +120,8 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
             }
             catch (Exception ex)
             {
+                await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, "Backup failed with errors:", ct);
+                await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, ExceptionUtil.ExtractAllExceptionMessages(ex), ct);
                 log.LogError(ex, "Backup failed");
                 throw ex;
             }
@@ -114,6 +129,7 @@ namespace AyaNova.Biz
             {
                 apiServerState.ResumePriorState();
                 BackupIsRunning = false;
+                await JobsBiz.LogJobAsync(Guid.Empty, $"Backup - fully complete, server re-opened", ct);
             }
         }