Response
Manager
Primer
Archiving Primer
Introduction
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The Response Manager Archiving feature is an important addition to a Response Manager Server that can take some time to understand. It is important for customers that want to follow the best practices for a Response Manager Server to learn how this feature works, in order to make efficient use of it.
In the context of Response Manager, Archiving refers to a process by which messages from the Response Manager server are exported to a searchable Archive SQL database, which is separate from the Response Manager SQL database. The copying of messages to this Archive database places them in a recognizable Response Manager framework, allowing the business users to continue to search historical messages. In most cases, system administrators will also purge the recently archived emails off of the production server. The key benefits of actively purging message content from the server are
reduction in overhead, and decreased nightly back‐up times.
The Archiving process begins on the Response Manager server, with the use of the Response Manager Admin client to adjust settings within the Response Manager Server. Active messages are kept in the Mail Store, and important tracking information and copies of the email headers are stored in the server’s SQL Database. From here, XML files containing archived versions of the email messages from the Response Manager Server’s Mail Store are created. These XML files are then imported by the Archive
Importer service, which imports the files into the Archive Database on the SQL server. (It is important to note a key difference between the Response Manager server and the Archive feature: the Response Manager server contains both a mail store and an SQL database, while the Archive feature content only resides in the Archive Database on the SQL server). Once in the Archive Database, the messages can be found using the Archive Search Interface. The archiving process takes place in the middle of the night (by
default) during the nightly internal maintenance cycle (commonly referred to as the “Nightly Batch”).
RESPONSE MANAGER MESSAGE ARCHIVE
EXPORTING
Some significant items to be aware of in the Archiving process take place before any actual “archiving” begins. It is important to ensure that you are archiving messages when you want them to be archived. Within the Response Manager Admin Server Settings (see image below) you can choose to either archive messages “When Closed or Sent”, or “When Permanently Deleted”. The setting you choose will depend on your business process, but it is important to choose the right one (In most cases we advise our customers to use the “When Permanently Deleted” setting. Choosing “When Closed or Sent” will bring about message duplication since there will be one message copy on the RM server and one in the SQL database at the same time). Issues can arise when archiving messages from the Response Manager server, however. When a message cannot be archived for any reason, usually due to improperly formatted message content, messages will remain on the server to ensure no data is lost.
As the archiving process begins, XML files are created on the Response Manager server that contain the message information from the mail store. An important thing to
recognize is that these XML files can take up a relatively large amount of disk space. We have seen disk space problems present archiving issues for our customers in the past. It is possible that lack of disk space can cause the Archiving process to fail, so it is essential that you ensure there is ample room on the Response Manager server so that the XML files can be sent from there.
the Message Archive Importer can begin its function of transferring the XML files to the SQL database, after which the messages can be viewed using the Archiving Search Interface. (One additional thing to note is that anti‐virus software should not be scanning the content of the folders while the Archiving process takes place).
RESPONSE MANAGER MESSAGE ARCHIVE
IMPORTER SERVICE
The Message Archive Importer Service begins with the XML archive files that have been created by the Response Manager server. These files contain the message information that was copied from the original messages in the Response Manager mail store. The XML archive files are parsed and transferred into the SQL database. Once in the SQL database, the archived files can be accessed using the Archiving Search Interface. Following are three potential sources of issues to be aware of that pertain to the Importer Service:
1)
CONNECTION PROBLEMS
If the message importer service is not connected to the database, the messages cannot be imported into the archive database. The Archive Importer Service’s log file will indicate if there are connection issues.
2)
DATABASE GROWTH PROBLEMS
The database has to have the ability to grow in order to accommodate the incoming XML archive files. For this to take place, you must ensure that there is ample space on the SQL database and the database is set to auto‐grow.
3)
FORMATTING PROBLEMS
It is important to be aware that XML archive files with unrecognized formatting will be separated off by the server and deposited in the retry folder where they will be held. If the messages in the retry folder cannot be imported after a period of time, they will be placed in the errors folder.
If you have messages in the errors folder please contact emailtopia Support to assist in troubleshooting the errors to ensure all messages are archived properly.
RESPONSE MANAGER ARCHIVING SEARCH
UTILITY
The Archive Search Interface provides a familiar and easy to use interface for agents to search for messages in the Archive Database. The search fields available in the Archive Search Interface are not as extensive as those seen in the Response Manager server’s Search Utility, but where the server’s Search Utility is limited to a maximum of 100 records, the Archive Search Interface has no such limit.
The Archiving Search Interface requires an active IIS server with .NET Framework 2.0 installed and registered properly with IIS. The Archiving Search Interface, combined with the Response Manager server Search Utility, gives you the ability to easily retrieve any email exchange between your company and your customers.
As of Response Manager 5.22, you can also now integrate the Archive Search and the regular Search Utility into one combined interface to allow users to search both at the same time.
The one main issue that we see arise with our customers occasionally that relates to the Archiving Search Utility is having difficulty finding content. This can occur when the Archive Interface is unable to establish a connection to the database, or more
commonly if there is a problem with the Full‐Text Search Index on the SQL Server itself. In the latter case, an Optimize, or a Rebuild followed by a Repopulate, should suffice to address the issue.
If not, your problems can be resolved with some quick assistance from emailtopia Support.
emailtopia is the leading provider of software and services for managing inbound email infrastructures. Providing email solutions since 1997, emailtopia has a distinguished client base that spans multiple verticals including financial services, banking, retail,
insurance, and government agencies. emailtopia's flag ship product, Response Manager, allows companies to manage, track and store emails with partners and customers.
Email has emerged as the leading application developed for the Internet. Every
company provides email for their employees, partners and customers. However, most companies are not able to answer some basic email questions like:
Are emails sent to general mailboxes (i.e. sales@, info@) being answered promptly and professionally?
If legally binding information is being sent via email, does it receive the proper approval prior to being sent out?
Is our organization sending obtrusive emails (SPAM) to customers or potential customers?
Are my customers and partners satisfied conducting business via email with my organization?
These may seem like basic questions (and they only scratch surface!), but most organizations cannot provide confident answers.
emailtopia is dedicated to helping organizations improve their email processes, both internally and externally. For more information on how we can help your organization, please contact us at [email protected].
