Frequently Asked Questions for Mirrored Files

Recommended Space Allocation

As a general rule of thumb, a typical unit (50-100 FTE) that stores Word, PDF, and PowerPoint files may need approximately 2-3 gigabytes of dedicated space per year. Audio, video, and image files may require more storage space. If in doubt, we'd recommend considering more space than initially needed up front.

Does Faculty Success have a way of searching stored files to confirm that they do not contain certain data?

Unfortunately, No, Faculty Success does not currently support this. However, Mirrored Files can be implemented so that a local copy of the stored files can be searched in this manner on your end. If files containing sensitive data are found and need to be deleted, you can do this manually by removing the file from the relevant record in Faculty Success, or the client can specify the record and file path and Faculty Success can delete this file on their behalf.

What is the best way to test that Mirrored Files is working?

The best test is to upload a test file and look for it on the server, and then delete it. If needed, we can tell the files that have changed in the last X days. 

What if I don't want certain files to be searchable?

Unfortunately, all files will be searchable.

How do I construct a path to a stored file via web service?

With mirrored files being in place, the path for a file on a sample server is "server name/folder name/username/screen code/filename.JPG."

What are the number after file extension in stored files names and do these numbers change?

These numbers in the file names of stored files is a form of a fail-safe method for ensuring that if something goes wrong in the replacement file process, files still have unique names. If, for example, you replace a CV—but when we go to delete the old file we don’t have permission to do this—we need a way to confirm that all files have unique names.

There is a workaround that can help prevent links from breaking when faculty need to update and re-upload their CVs in this field. Instead of using the “Replace File…” button, they’ll need to delete the file, save the record, and then re-upload the replacement. This will ensure that the extension number that’s added to the end of the file name will always remain “1”.

How are reports with file links adjusted to download from the mirrored files server?

Each report is individually updated to link to the bucket location instead of the Watermark authenticated file storage. To change the linking to a mirrored files service, one work request may be submitted with all full-service reports with links that need to use the mirrored files location. A separate work request would be submitted for any file linking used in citations for Self-Service Reports: Formatted.

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