Archiving and restoring collections
An archived collection is a compressed .zip file that contains all information required to restore the collection. Use archiving to safely store a completed audit collection and then delete the collection from the Server Explorer. If you need access to the collection, you can then restore it.
Note
Archiving does not remove the original collection from the Server Explorer. After successfully archiving a collection, you can delete the original collection.
Before you begin
Your ACL GRC Analytics Exchange administrator must configure the archive and restore directory on AX Server before you can archive or restore collections. For more information, see Configure the Archive and Restore data directory.
How archiving works
You can archive up to 500 collections simultaneously, and archived collections are stored in the location specified by your ACL GRC Analytics Exchange administrator. Collections that are being archived are locked during the archiving process, but you can continue to work with other collections.
During archiving, master tables and master analytics are converted to standalone tables and standalone analytics.
Note
Depending on system configuration, the number of collections, and their size and complexity, archiving can take a significant amount of time to complete.
Archive contents
The following items are included in the compressed archive file:
- folders
- table layouts
- data files
- related files
- saved interpretations accessible in AX Web Client
- result tables
Note
Linked tables and analytics, security permissions, and passwords stored in analytic parameter sets are not included in the archived collection.
Error handling
During the archiving process, if one or more collections fail, the process continues running for any additional collections in the queue. Failed archive processes are logged in the axArchiveRestore.log file on AX Server.
Archive a collection
- Optional. Delete any items you want to exclude from the collection archive.
- From the Server Explorer, select the collection or collections to archive and then from the menu, select Admin > Archive.
Tip
Use Ctrl+click to select multiple collections.
- In the Archive dialog box, click Archive.
Result the archive process begins and the status is displayed in the System Jobs tab of the Job Status view.
How restoring works
When you restore a collection, all of the information stored in the archived file is restored. The restored collection is fully functional, but you need to recreate any information that is not retained by the archiving process:
- analytic schedules
- passwords specified for analytics
- linked tables
- linked analytics
Any master tables and master analytics in the original collection will be standalone tables and standalone analytics when you restore the collection.
Note
If you restore a collection to a location that contains a collection with the same name, the restored collection name will be appended with a copy number (e.g.,( 2) for the second copy). For example, Corporate Data 20130311 (2).zip. This copying occurs if you restore a collection to its original location and you have not deleted the original collection.
Restored analytic jobs
When you restore a collection:
- any existing analytic job results are displayed in the Server Explorer inside a Results folder with a sub-folder for each job
- any analytic jobs you run after the collection is restored are associated with the analytic, and the job status and results are accessed through the Analytic Jobs tab in the Job Status view
Restore an archived collection
Note
To complete this task, you must be assigned the AX Server Administrator role.
- From the menu, select Admin > Restore and in the Restore dialog box, select the collection to restore.
Use the file information listed in the dialog box to identify the correct collection to restore. If a collection is archived more than once in a day, a copy number is appended to the subsequent archive files: collection_name 20150101(2).zip.
- Click Restore and then from the list, select one of the following locations to restore the collection to:
- Working
- Library
- In the Collection Name field, enter a name to restore the collection as and then click Restore.
Result the restore process begins and the status is displayed in the System Jobs tab of the Job Status view.