Database Clean Up

Over a period of time redundant data may build up in the database as a result of changes to templates etc. Identifying and removing this data automatically each time processes are run has in the past led to performance issues. The Clean up tool allows the database to be cleansed by an administrator at a time that suits you. To minimise the effect on users it is recommended you run the tool when no other users are logged in to the database.

Running the clean up will also identify items that need re-indexing. The database is made up of tables of data, in order to access information from these tables quickly the information is sorted and indexed. The indexes have to be maintained as information is updated, inserted and deleted. The process of maintaining the indexes and keeping statistics up to date can deteriorate over time and needs servicing periodically.

Clean the database as follows:

1. Login as an administrator after having first checked that no other users are logged in.
2. Select Tools | Database Cleanup from the menu to view the redundant items.
3. Click OK to run the clean up process.

The cleanup tool will alert users where they have the relevant permissions if a threshold of work items have been reached which is currently set to 10 items. It will only alert users after 5pm so the process can be left running over night if need be. The alert takes the form of the dialog appearing after the user logs off.

The clean-up process will only run once at any given time, if it’s running other users won’t be able to run it concurrently.