The first step when creating a new Archive Request is to specify the parameters for the Archive Process.
A description indicates the type of information in the Archive File or provides other useful information. Developing a convention for descriptions can help you categorize Archive Files, and when browsing or restoring data, you can reference the description to focus the search on specific Archive Files. For this scenario, type Archive Orders for Order-Entry Appl v1.0.
Directing resource-intensive processing to a server potentially minimizes network traffic and maximizes efficiency. Server Name indicates the server or workstation used to run the Archive Process. If the Optim™ Server option is not installed (as for this scenario), you must use your local workstation to process the Archive Request. If the Optim Server option is installed on one or more machines, you can select a server on which to process the Archive Request.
The Archive File contains the archived data. You can use one or more macros to dynamically create a unique name for each Archive File created by running this Archive Request. Each time you run the Archive Process, Archive resolves any macros and generates the file name.
For this scenario, type scenario<$SEQ>. Using the macro, the sequence number is increased by a single digit each time Optim generates a file name. The generated number causes the file name for each run to be unique.
Optim adds the default .af extension for Archive Files. If you do not include a path with the file name, the default Archive Directory specified in Personal Options is used. If a default Archive Directory is not specified, the default Data Directory specified in Personal Options is used.
You can expedite the process of searching for Archive Files to be browsed or restored by creating an Archive Index File. The Archive Index File contains index information for data in the Archive File. By default, Archive populates the Archive Index File box with the name of the Archive File, giving it the default extension .afx. For this scenario, use the default file name.
A group is a name or tag that you can associate with the Archive File and corresponding archived data. Developing a convention for groups can help you categorize Archive Files. For example, you might use the group “HumResrc” for data you archive from payroll and benefits applications. Before browsing or restoring data, you can reference the group to filter the list of potential Archive Files before you search them. For this scenario, type ORDERS.
A Storage Profile allows you to define parameters for creating the Archive File on secondary media and automatically creating a duplicate Archive File. Examples of secondary media include zip disks and backup devices. For this scenario, do not specify a Storage Profile.
A File Access Definition allows you to secure an Archive File by controlling access to the tables and columns in the file. You can define access permissions for a table, column, or the default setting by associating it with an access control list. To create a secured Archive File, enter the name of a new or existing File Access Definition. For this scenario, do not enter a File Access Definition.
Process Options allow you to establish safeguards for the Archive Process. You can ensure the process does not archive an unexpectedly large number of rows and can defer, review, or change a decision to delete archived data from the database.
A row limit is the maximum number of rows to archive. For example, if you expect to archive fewer than 10 million rows, you can use a row limit to cause the Archive Process to fail if the number of archived rows exceeds 10 million. A row limit can be any value between 1 and the maximum limit specified in Product Options.
You can increase the number of concurrent database connections for the Archive Process. Increasing database connections improves performance by allowing multiple threads to archive rows concurrently. This option is only available if Maximum Database Connections on the Database tab of Product Options is 2 or greater. For this scenario, Database Connections is unavailable.
You can delete the data at any time after the Archive Process completes. Archive lets you delete archived data from the database as part of the Archive Process or defer the deletion of data.
For this scenario, clear the Defer Delete after Archive check box.
If you select this check box, Archive displays the Delete after Archive Specifications dialog when you run the Archive Process. The dialog is displayed prior to processing and lists the tables to be archived. You can review the list to confirm or change the tables from which rows are to be deleted. For this scenario, select the Review Archive Delete List check box.
Selecting this check box enables the Report Options. You can use Report Options to name a Report Request, and enable access to the Report Request Editor, where reporting parameters can be defined. For this scenario, leave the Create Report check box cleared.
You can select this check box to include statistical information in the Archive Process Report. (For details, see Statistical Information.) For this scenario, leave the Generate Statistical Report check box cleared.
Select this check box to archive file attachments identified in the Access Definition.
An Access Definition describes the set of data to be archived, governing the overall Archive Process. You can create a Local Access Definition, which is exclusive to the current Archive Request. Another option is to specify the name of a new or existing Access Definition, which can be used with other process requests. Access Definition Options let you specify the type of Access Definition to be used in the Archive Request. For this scenario, select Local.
Because you have cleared the Defer Delete after Archive check box, rows from selected tables are deleted as part of the Archive Process. You must provide processing parameters for the Delete portion of the process. Click the Delete tab on the Archive Request Editor.
Complete the elements of the Delete tab as described as follows.
The Control File records the success or failure of Delete Processing for each row. The process verifies that each archived row that is selected for deletion matches exactly the corresponding row to be deleted from the database. Any rows that do not match exactly are discarded—noted in the Control File and not deleted from the database. After the process is completed, you can browse the Control File to identify the rows that could not be deleted and to determine the cause.
You can use one of the following methods to specify a Control File:
For this scenario, type control as the name of the Control File.
If you click the Delete Control File button ,
Archive automatically deletes the Control File at the end of the process
if all rows are successfully deleted from the database.
The following options help you manage the Delete portion of the Archive Process:
You can lock database tables during processing. A table is locked until all rows are processed. Locking ensures that other database activity does not interfere with the process, but prevents other users from accessing tables involved in the process. Since this behavior may be undesirable for some organizations, permission to lock tables can be denied. For this scenario, clear the check box.
You can compare rows of data in the Archive File with rows in the database prior to deletion. Rows are deleted from the database that exactly match rows in the Archive File, and rows that do not exactly match are discarded and noted in the Control File. For this scenario, leave the check box selected (default).
This option is available only if Compare Row Contents is selected. You can include LOB columns in the row comparison. For this scenario, leave the check box selected (default).
You can select this check box to include statistical information for the Delete Process in the Archive Process Report. (For details, see Statistical Information.) For this scenario, leave the Generate Statistical Report check box cleared.
You can specify the number of rows to process before committing changes to the database. Frequent commits keep locking and use of the database log files to a minimum, but may slow the process. For this scenario, clear the check box to use the maximum Product Options limit.
You can limit the number of rows that can be discarded while deleting rows during the Archive Process. The process stops after the specified number is reached and all rows in the array are processed.
To process with no limit on the number of rows that can be discarded, specify 0 or leave blank. For this scenario, specify 0.
You can increase the number of concurrent database connections for the Delete Process. This improves performance by allowing multiple threads to process rows concurrently. (Available only if Maximum Database Connections on the Database tab of Product Options is 2 or greater.) For this scenario, Database Connections is unavailable.