Archiving

Considerations Before Archiving

The following summarizes some of the important items to note regarding the archiving facility. Consider them before you begin archiving:

• We strongly encourage you to have a current backup of your files before archiving.
  
  
• Archiving is not user-specific. In other words, archiving is attached to a file not a user. For your own protection, please be aware that someone other than yourself can complete or change an existing archiving activity.
  
  
• Data from logical and physical files can be archived, but only the data from the physical (primary) file can be purged (removed).
  
  
• VA FileMan must be able to collect and print the data (using the search criteria) before you can create an archiving activity. That is, the Select Entries to Archive option must be run to completion such that the selected entries are printed (and can thus be stored in the ^DIBT SORT TEMPLATE global).
  
  
• If you plan to keep a hard copy of the printed entries for future reference, design your PRINT template to facilitate review. You do not need to print all of the fields' values that will be archived, but you may want to include those that, in combination, will uniquely identify the entry. Save the PRINT template for future use when archiving.
  
  
• When the archived entries are written to temporary storage, the corresponding original entry disappears from the user's view. (A new node, subscripted with -9, is added to the original entry so that it will be bypassed by the usual VA FileMan calls.)
  
  
• If data to be archived is contained in a Multiple field, then the entire entry must be archived. You cannot archive a subentry by itself.
  
  
• A FILEGRAM-type template is the only template type allowed in the Write Entries to Temporary Storage option.
  
  
• You cannot have more than one archiving activity on a file at a time.
  
  
• Data selected for archiving can be permanently saved to any sequential storage media, for example: SDP, a VMS file, magnetic tape, or a removable disk pack.
  
  
• Depending on the number of entries involved, be prepared for the search (the Select Entries to Archive option) and write (the Write Entries to Temporary Storage option) processes to be time-consuming.
  
  
• A brief history of who performed the various archive steps and when they were accomplished is saved in the ARCHIVAL ACTIVITY file.
  
  
• You can cancel your archiving process, by using the Cancel Archival Selection option, at any time before the Purge Stored Entries option is used.
  
  
• The Find Archived Entries option can be used to verify that the archive medium contains all the information intended to be archived.
  
  
• The Purge Stored Entries option completely deletes data from the file being archived and from the ARCHIVAL ACTIVITY file.
  
  
• You cannot purge archived entries until you have moved selected entries to permanent storage. Thus, you need not worry about losing entries before they're archived.
  
  
• You cannot start a second archive from a file until you purge or cancel the existing archiving activity on that file.

Reviewed/Updated: March 4, 2007