Active Archive Module
Data tends to accumulate and slow-down processing. Customers previously used keep-clauses for chains or processes so they get deleted after a specified period of time. Archiving allows you to move reports and other data out of Redwood Server to optimize it for its main function, swift data process scheduling. The Active Archive allows you to relieve Redwood Server yet still allowing your end-users access history data. Archiving server also introduces a number of new functionality, such as report approval and review. This is especially used in accounting.
You can disable keep-clauses with the registry entry/configuration/KeepDisabled. If you do not wish to disable keep-clauses, ensure the keep-clauses fire after the report has been archived or you may encounter data-loss.
The archive server allows you to create repositories named catalogs. Each catalog lives in its own database (MS SQL Server) or schema (Oracle); files of all catalogs are stored on the same file system. You use catalogs to separate access, for example. A scenario frequently used is to create a catalog for each year and/or each company entity.
Best Practices
- Do not host the Active Archive on the same host as Redwood Server
- You may use the same database server for Active Archive and Redwood Server, but do not use the same database (if using SQL Server) or schema (if using Oracle)
- Create separate databases (SQL server) or schemas (Oracle) for control database and catalog database(s)
- To increase archival speed over a network you specify a compression level via a registry entry.
Process Flow
Chains and Processes are archived in phases:
- Chains and processes are marked for archiving and their dynamic deletion date is set
- A process and its output is sent to the Active Archive
- Verification is done to assure the process has been archived successfully
- The process and its output are deleted from Redwood Server
Redwood recommends that you create a chain definition with all but the last phase (deletion phase). More than one chain and process can be archived simultaneously. Redwood recommends you schedule the process to run on a daily basis; since it is incremental, the run time is kept low. When you are archiving high volumes, you can schedule the process to run more often.
Prerequisites
The Archiving module requires:
- Active Archiving Server requires a specific license key.
- An Active Archive, accessible over the network from the Redwood Server.
It is possible to install Redwood Server and Archiving on the same server, however, running separate application servers is recommended. One of the goals of archiving is to offload the central Redwood Server.
Active Archive Installation
The Active Archive comes bundled with a web application for your convenience. It requires an MS SQL Server or Oracle database. See the Active Archive Installation for specific installation and configuration instructions. The Active Archive requires LDAP Authentication, so you will need to find an LDAP server that can be used by the Active Archive. You might be using Active Directory or another LDAP-compliant Authentication system in your data-center. If you are not, you can consider openLDAP or ApacheDS, both of which have been tested with Redwood Server.
Active Archive
The Active Archive is a repository for chains and processes, output with advanced search capabilities. Chains and processes and their output are stored in folders and the folders are stored in catalogs. You can set security on folder and catalog-level. The Active Archive is based on Report2Web technology, the enterprise report distribution software from Redwood Software.
Keywords
Active Archive features keywords to easily find a chain, process, or output file in the catalog.
Three keywords are created: for each Chains and process as well as each of their respective files:
Chain and process
<server>.guid-Job.<jobId><server>.jobid-<jobId><server>.JobDefinition-<partition>.<jobdefinition>of the process definition of the job
File
<server>.guid-JobFile.<UniqueId><server>.jobid-<jobId>of the chain or process that produced the output<server>.JobDefinition-<partition>.<jobdefinition>of the chain or process definition
Where
<server>- the name of the Active Archive as configured in Redwood Server<partition>- partition of the definition of the chain or process; note that this is not the partition of the chain or process<jobdefinition>- chain or process definition name<UniqueId>- the UniqueId of the file in Redwood Server