Deleting inactive documents
Regularly delete inactive documents from databases to save disk space, to make it easier for users to find information, and to improve database performance.
About this task
| Deletion method |
Multiple deletion criteria? |
Archive capability? |
Leaves deletion stubs? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create an archive policy settings document |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Use the document archiving tool in the Database Properties box |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Limit the contents of a replica by using the "Remove documents not modified in the last x days" replication setting |
No |
No |
No |
| Use an agent to delete and archive documents |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
For information on the document archiving tool, see the topic Specifying the computers where archiving runs and where the archive is stored in HCL Notes® Help.
In addition to these methods, you can also create an API program that deletes documents.
To archive deleted documents
About this task
If you have disk space available and you want users to be able to access deleted documents, archive the documents before deleting them. When doing so, follow these guidelines:
Procedure
- Determine an archive frequency based on the type of database. For example, you might archive an infrequently accessed database, such as a company policy database, every three months. Archive a heavily used tracking database, such as a customer call-tracking database, once a month or once a week.
- Notify users that you plan to archive the database.
- In the About This Database document of the active database, post the archiving schedule and the location of the archive database.
- Archive the database when it is not in use and server traffic is low -- for example, on Sunday night.
- After archiving is complete and you've deleted documents from the active database, compact the active database.
- If the database has replicas, replicate the active database when database use is light so that you minimize user interruptions.
- Limit access to the archive database. Assign Manager access in the database ACL to one or two users and replicating servers. Assign Reader access in the database ACL to everyone else. By doing this, you ensure that view indexes and full-text search indexes update only when archiving occurs.
To customize an archive database for fast access
About this task
Using an archive database ensures that users can continue to access the archived data. Use any of these methods to make accessing the archive database fast and easy.
- Remove unnecessary fields
Removing unnecessary fields makes the documents smaller and the views smaller and faster. For example, although the active database might include fields for the customer name, phone number, address, and fax number, the archive database might require only the customer name.
- Use only a few views and create a full-text index
Using only a few views improves view performance by keeping the total size of the view indexes to a minimum. Providing a full-text index allows users to retrieve information easily.
- Create buttons or agents in the active database
Buttons and agents allow users to quickly open the archive database when necessary.
To use an archive copy for statistical analysis
To analyze statistics within a database, create a view that generates statistics in an archive copy of the database. For example, in an archive copy of a Call Tracking database, create a view that generates totals for specific categories of call records and for all call records. Because archive databases usually contain data that span a long period of time, they are ideal for performing statistical analysis.