AE DB Archive

You use the AE DB Archive utility (ucybdbar and ucybdbarg) to archive current data records by marking them with a deletion flag. You can create forecasts before you start the archiving process, reset archive flags, or export data to text files for external report analysis. Archived data is still available for years and can be displayed by using the Archive Browser.

Important!

  • The AE.DB Archive utility exports and writes files in UTF-8 instead of ASCII. Additionally, encoding information is written to the export files to define the encoding of the data written into the files. With the help of this encoding information, you can determine if a file's content is in legacy or UTF-8 encoding for correct handling. For more information, see Open Interface to Output Management Systems and Archive Browser.

  • You can archive the relevant data in batch mode with the ucybdbar utility, but you must start it at least once through its user interface to specify your required settings. For more information, see Start Parameters - Utilities.

  • Database fields that are written to archive files are separated by semicolons. If semicolons are also used in the archive keywords, the separation of database fields is no longer unique. Therefore, the AE DB Archive utility converts the semicolons that are used in archive keywords to commas.

  • Once the archiving process runs, do not store the files in the AE or utility servers. Store them on a mapped drive, or zip them and move them away. Otherwise, these files fill up the files system at some point and might cause an outage.

Tips!

  • This utility reads the values in the UC_ARCHIVE_UTILITY variable and uses them. No manual interaction is required. For details, see UC_UTILITY_ARCHIVE - Configuring the Archiving Parameters

  • When you reorganize your data in the next step by using the AE DB Reorg utility, you can specify that this utility only considers data records marked with an archive flag. Use the parameter no_archive_check= for this purpose in the utility's INI file. For more information, see AE DB Reorg.

This page includes the following:

Overview

Log on to the utility by using the client that you want to archive.

The graphical user interface of the ucybdbarg utility shows the following status information:

  • Table columns
    • Table
      Data area (such as messages or execution data) that shows the database tables. By double-clicking the relevant table line, you can change the settings as described below.
    • Last archiving
      Date of the last archiving process, or question marks if data has not yet been archived.
    • Current number
      Number of data records that can be archived.
    • Archiving criteria
      Current specification of archiving criteria including the start date for the archiving process as defined in the Settings menu.
    • Number after archiving
      Number of data records that won't be archived because of the specified criteria.

Three options are available which you can either double-click directly or open from the File menu:

  • Reset archive flags

    Resets the archive flags of the client.

    • To reset the archive flags of several clients, see AE DB Unload.

  • Forecast

    Creates a forecast by using the data that is currently available, see Forecasting

  • Archive

    Starts the archiving process.

    • A status line shows the progress and after a successful archiving run, data records are marked with an archive flag.

Settings Window

You can use the Settings tab to define your archiving parameters or double-click the particular table line. The settings you define here only apply to the client you used to log on to the utility. You can set that data records older than x days should be archived. The assumed start time for the archiving process is 00:00.

Tip: As the AE DB Archive utility should archive current data, it is helpful to set all values to 0 or a maximum of 1 day.

Messages Tab

Define what should be archived:

  • Archive messages
    Check this checkbox to archive client messages.
  • Read
    All read messages older than the specified number of days are archived. The corresponding date criterion is displayed next to it.
  • Unread
    All unread messages that are older than the specified number of days will be archived. Additionally, the date that corresponds to the specified number of days is displayed.

Statistics Tab

Reports related to the execution data will also be archived. The following fields are available:

  • Archive statistics
    Check this checkbox to archive client execution data.
  • Archive statistics older than
    All execution data that is older than the specified number of days is archived. The corresponding date criterion is displayed next to it.

    • The specified value applies to the execution and report data. Data of all deleted objects are also archived, regardless of the defined period.

Archive Tab

The following fields are available:

  • Archive directory
    Directory in which the archived data is stored. Make sure that the specified drive exists at the activation time and that sufficient memory is available. For more information, see Structure of the Archive Folder.
  • Size of Archive
    Determines the maximum size of archived files.

    • If necessary, archived data is broken up into several files of the specified archive size.

    The maximum size must not exceed 2048 MB. Otherwise, the utility will abort with a corresponding error message. The default value is 650 megabytes.

  • Date format
    Here you specify the required date format used for the output in the archived files.

    • By default, the format "Y.m.d H:M:S" is used (for example, "2021-May-23 08:25:10").

    You can use the following characters for your definitions:

    • d
      Displays the day of the month as a two-figure number (01 - 31).
    • j
      Displays the day of the year as a three-figure number (001 - 366).
    • m
      Displays the month as a two-figure number (01 - 12).
    • b
      Displays the month in abbreviated form (Jan - Dec)
    • B
      Displays the month in full form (January - December).
    • y
      Displays the year as a two-figure number (00 - 99).
    • Y
      Displays the year as a four-figure number (0000 - 9999).
    • w
      Displays the day of the week as a number (0 - 6, Sunday is 0).
    • A
      Displays the day in full form (Monday - Sunday).
    • W
      Displays the week of the year as a two-figure number (00 - 53), starting with Monday as the first day of the week.
    • U
      Displays the week of the year as a two-figure number (00 - 53), starting with Sunday as the first day of the week.
    • x
      Displays the date depending on the date format specified in the system control panel.
    • I
      Displays the hour in a 12-hour format (01 - 12).
    • M
      Displays the minute with a leading zero (00 - 59).
    • S
      Displays the seconds with a leading zero (00 - 59).
    • p
      Displays the time with the 12-hour time specification am and pm.
    • X
      Displays the time depending on the time format specified in the system control panel.
    • z
      Displays the time zone. If it is not known, nothing is displayed.
    • c
      Displays the date and time depending on the format specified in the system control panel.

Creating a Forecast

You can create a forecast before you start the actual archiving process to simulate archive runs. The forecast results are displayed within the tables.

If you already have archived data of the specific client, the estimated values (in the hours:minutes:seconds format) are calculated based on the information of the previous archive runs and become even more exact with each archiving process.

Structure of the Archive Folder

You can define the basic archive directory and the maximum size of the archive in the settings of the utility. The archived files can be browsed using the Archive Browser, see Archive Browser.

  • During the archiving process, a subfolder with the four-digit client number is automatically created with subfolders for each archiving run which in turn contain all archived data and the corresponding index files. The name of the subfolder is the prefix UC_ARCHIV_, the current date in the format YYYYMMDD, and a consecutive number (such as 0001\UC_ARCHIV_20210520_3).
  • If the data exceeds the defined maximum size, the archiving process continues in a folder with the next consecutive number. Index files are numbered in the same way.

Structure of the Index Files

Index files are generated when the statistical records of the AH and RH tables are archived. Each index line refers to a data record in the archive. The individual positions of the data records are described below:

Index for AH: UC_AH.IDX

  • 1
    Block code H2
  • 2
    Client
  • 3
    User
  • 4
    Department
  • 5
    AType
  • 6
    SType
  • 7
    RunID
  • 8
    Host name
  • 9
    Start time/start date
  • 10
    Parent ACT
  • 11
    Parent PRC
  • 12
    Archive Key 1
  • 13
    Archive Key 2
  • 14
    Object name
  • 15
    Byte position in the archive
  • 16
    Line position in the archive
  • 17
    Archive number
  • 18
    Record length in bytes

Example:

H2;1;LF;PROG;JPAK;GRP;1302137;;2021-05-23 10:31:42;0;0;;;LF.JP.GROUP;73837;2555;7;148

Index for RH: UC_RH.IDX

  • 1
    Block code H3
  • 2
    Client
  • 3
    Report type
  • 4
    Object name
  • 5
    RunID
  • 6
    Point in time when the report was created
  • 7
    Point in time when the report was last updated
  • 8
    Byte position in the archive
  • 9
    Line position in the archive
  • 10
    Archive number
  • 11
    Record length in bytes

Example:

H3;98;JE01;MM.CHECK.FREE.SPACE;1000020;2020-05-24 12:56:03;2021-05-24 12:56:10;2820;39;12;151

Message Archive: UC_MELD.TXT

  • 1
    Block code M
  • 2
    Client
  • 3
    User
  • 4
    Department
  • 5
    Point in time when the message was generated
  • 6
    Source
  • 7
    Category
  • 8
    Type
  • 9
    Host
  • 10
    Message Text

Example:

M;1;LF;PROG;2021-03-18 09:43:54;Automation Engine;Report;Error;;U0011021 Host 'LFT40' is not active!

Comment Archive: UC_ACMT.TXT

  • 1
    Block code M
  • 2
    Client
  • 3
    User/Department
  • 4
    Object name
  • 5
    RunID
  • 6
    Point in time when the message was generated
  • 7
    Record length in bytes
  • 8
    Message text

Example:

M;100;MH/PROG;TESTJOB;454711222;2021-03-15 09:43:54;nnn;This task was modified by (MH).

See also: