Using the Browse Utility, you can quickly and easily review
data stored in an Archive File.
For example, you can browse an Archive File
to:
- Satisfy a customer inquiry, without having to restore
a single row to a database.
- Ensure the archived data is as expected, before
deleting any data from the database.
- Determine if the file is appropriate for a Restore
Process.
When searching archived data, you can begin
with data in any archived table and join to related data in other
archived tables. For example, even though orders-related information
was archived on the basis of a date in the ORDERS table, you can look
for archived information pertaining to a specific item by browsing
archived rows from the ITEMS table and joining to related rows in
other tables.
This section demonstrates how to
use the Browse Utility.
Scenario Overview
In
the Archive Process, you copied selected data to an Archive File and
deleted archived rows from the ORDERS and DETAILS tables.
Archive Directory Maintenance allows you to search for
data in Archive Files. When combined with the Browse Utility, this
search capacity provides a powerful way to resolve a problem or answer
a customer inquiry, without restoring archived data. For this scenario,
you will browse archived data from the CUSTOMERS table, joining to
related rows in the ORDERS table and the DETAILS table to confirm
that a specific item was ordered and shipped more than two years ago.
To browse the data, you will:
- Search for an Archive File that contains orders
for the inquiring customer.
- Open the Archive File — the Archive File created
earlier in this scenario.
- Select a table to browse — the CUSTOMERS table —
and locate the row for the inquiring customer.
- Join a table — the ORDERS table, then the DETAILS
table, to confirm the item in question was ordered and to provide
the order and shipment dates to the customer.
- Search Archive Files
To
browse data, you first search for an Archive File that contains orders
for the inquiring customer.
- Select a Table to Browse
After
you open an Archive File, you can select a table to browse within
the Archive File.
- View Related Data
When
you browse data within a table, you can use the Join facility to join
to tables related to the displayed data. This feature is useful for
reviewing related data. You can join to one, several, or all directly
related tables in one join operation.