Here is an overview of the directories and files on standard installations.

Some directories may be hidden, change the Explorer setting to show them.

• Skychart.ini. This file contains all configuration settings made by the user. Some examples: the observation position, the directories to the configured catalogs, and the definitions of your markers. In the releases before 2009-01-11, under Linux this file was known as .cartesduciel.ini in the user's homedirectory.
  
• cdc_trace.txt. This file keeps track of the events with the last started instance of skychart.exe. It can be used for a simple form of debugging. Only found under Windows, under Linux this trace is to stdout.
  
• tmp. Directory where temporary pictures of planets are saved, retrieved from the xplanet program.
  
• pictures. Directory where the FITS-pictures are saved, downloaded from the online DSS resources. Usually, you will find files with names like $temp.fit and $temp.fit.gz
  
• MPC. In this directory SkyChart saves the comet and asteroid data that was downloaded from the Minor Planet Center.
  
• database. As the name suggests, this is the place where SkyCharts keeps a database with the name cdc.db that consists of indexed, searchable data. The database contains several tables. Herein the ephemeris of the asteroids and comets are kept after these were calculated from the orbital elements. Also there is a table that contains the ordered list of object-pictures that can be displayed. (For example, those in the data\pictures\sac subdirectory in the installation directory.) And the data for Countries and Obeservation locations are kept in this file.