Delta Watch: Archive and Remove a project

Project finished?

Create a database backup for safe-keeping and remove it from the working DB.

Now made even simpler in Delta Watch version 3.10

Learn here how...

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Delta Watch: Archive and Remove a project

When a project is finished, and monitoring data is no longer flowing to Delta Watch (DW), then it is time to do some housekeeping. To reduce the database (DB) size, maybe free up some licence points but also to make a backup copy of the final project and the original data files, is all part of this process.

If there is only 1 project in the DB, then this is all very simple. But when there are multiple projects within the current DB then is it strongly advised to do some cleaning up and isolate the project that is completed into an archive. This frees up licence points, reduces disk-space and speeds up future DB backups.

WARNING

  • Once a project is removed from the working DB, it cannot be merged back into the working DB. Regardless of the archive that was made.
  • To access any archived DB, the working DB need to be taken offline temporarily.
  • If a project might restart at a later date, DO NOT remove it from your working DB.

 

This article details the steps of removing a project from the working DB and reducing the size, with the option to create a separate archive DB where required. Deleting a project is fast and simple, but the time required to create the backup DB could vary, depending on the data size of the project. Make sure to not start this procedure at a critical moment, as a few DW restarts are required.

The following steps are optimized for Delta Watch version 3.10. At the bottom of this article, a section is dedicated to the actions to delete a project from older versions of Delta Watch.

The workflows described in this article are for best results and smallest size DB. It includes removing settings for email server and automation from the archived DB so that if the DB needs to be accessed again, nothing gets triggered and no emails will be sent.

What is in this article?

  • Before you start.jump to
    • Some notes and assumptions that are good to know
  • Archiving workflow when there is only 1 project in the DB.jump to
    • How to archive a DB with a single project correctly
  • Just remove, do not make an archive DB.jump to
  • Workflow when there are multiple projects in the DB.jump to
    • This allows archiving and removing only finished project, while keeping the other projects in the DB
  • How to delete a project pre DW3.10.jump to
    • guidelines for deleting projects in older versions of Delta Watch

Before you start

  • The database file (DB) is called TUNIS.FDB.
  • The DB file has to be in the \Database subfolder of Delta Watch.
  • Besides the TUNIS.FDB file and a SCHEDULER.FDB file, they belong together.
    • TUNIS is the main DB
    • SCHEDULER contains automation setting, for example automatic report settings.
  • FDB is the filename extension of a database file.
  • BKU is the filename extension of a backup file.
  • A BKU file can have any name
  • Delta Watch can only read and access the DB if…
    • the name is TUNIS.FDB
    • the file is located in the \Database subfolder of the program
  • Ensure that there is available disk space. A rule of the thumb would be 3.5 times the current TUNIS.FDB size.
  • When creating or restoring a backup of TUNIS, also always do the same action on SCHEDULER.
  • Strongly suggested storing any DB backup (automated or manual) and archived DB in a folder that is NOT located in the Delta Watch program folder. Reason: When updating the Delta Watch software, it makes a complete copy of the program folder. If the DB backups are in there, then this process will take very long.
  • The article DB management contains details on how to make or restore a backup, including permanently removing deleted records, and data clean-up.
  • To reduce disk usage further in final storage, BKU files could be compressed with popular tools like 7Zip, WinRaR or WinZIP

Workflow when there is only 1 project in the DB

Below steps are for a DB with just one project, when these steps are completed, that’s it. You are done and could skip the rest of the article.

  1. Disable ALL automatic processing, import/export tasks, automatic DB backups and reporting.
  2. [optional] Remove mail server settings.
  3. [optional] Prepare for DB size reduction by deleting RAW data from the automated network(s). This is called data cleanup in Delta Watch.
  4. Make DB backup of both TUNIS.FDB and SCHEDULER.FDB and store on a location of your choice. This is now the archive DB of the finished project. Don't forget to enable Skip Garbage collection during backup to reduce the DB size.
  5. Delete the original TUNIS.FDB and SCHEDULER.FDB files.
  6. Start Delta Watch, it will create a new DB.

Just remove, do not make an archive DB

Although not recommended, it is possible to simply remove a complete project from the working DB without archiving. In that case, jump directly to the below section called: Delete the finished project and follow the step to the end.


Workflow when there are multiple projects in the DB

When there is more than 1 project in the DB, there is a little more work involved. First, for those who are familiar with Delta Watch, a short list with steps and a minimized workflow in the illustration below. Further on, each step is described in more detail.

  1. [optional] Disable Automatic processing.jump to
  2. Make a DB backup of both TUNIS and SCHEDULER DB files.jump to
  3. Delete all projects from DB, except for the project that needs archiving.jump to
  4. [optional] Remove email server settings, disable automatic DB backups and add final logbook entry.jump to
  5. [optional] Prepare for DB size reduction by deleting RAW data from automated network(s).jump to
  6. Make DB backup to the archive location of the finished project. Do this for TUNIS and SCHEDULER files. Then delete both FDB files in the \Database folder.jump to
  7. Restore backup DB's from Step 2.jump to
  8. Delete the finished project from DB.jump to
  9. [optional] perform maintenance by deleting old raw data from the remaining projects.jump to
  10. Perform a backup and restore action. This will permanently delete the finished project from the working DB.jump to
  11. Activate any automation again that was disabled in step 1.jump to
  12. [optionally] If satisfied all is working, then delete backups from step 2 and 10.jump to

 


1. [optional] Disable automatic processing

This step is optional but highly recommended. By disabling automatic processing, it will prevent DW from accidentally processing any data from other projects that might be deleted at a later step.

Any active automation in the project that needs removing should also be disabled. After all, the project is finished. First, this is to stop any data being consumed, but also to ensure that if the DB is opened later than DW does not start sending emails etc. Open DW and disable all automatic processing for the project that needs archiving:

Disable What Field In Module
Automatic network processing Activate automatic loading

Networks

GNSS data processing Processing, found in tab Sensor field configuration. GNSS Array
Data import and Export tasks Either by editing the task and uncheck the Active field, found under extended settings. Or simply by unchecking the Active field in the overview. Import & Export

 

If there are other projects in the DB that are still active, then also temporarily disable above items from these other projects! This prevents DW from processing any data in the wrong DB, the archive DB, whilst working on it!

 

2. Make the first DB backup

See the article about DB management on how to make a manual backup of the current DB files. When creating the backup, name the destination files as follows:

 

DB file (source) Backup files (target)
TUNIS.FDB TUNIS_WORKING.BKU
SCHEDULER.FDB SCHEDULER_WORKING.BKU

At this point, it is already possible to reduce the DB size by enabling Skip garbage collection in the backup process, it might speed up the rest of the process already! When finished, there should be 4 files:

  • TUNIS.FDB, the original DB
  • TUNIS_WORKING.BKU, the backup file
  • SCHEDULER.FDB, the original DB
  • SCHEDULER_WORKING.BKU, the backup file

The TUNIS file is the main database file, but the SCHEDULER file contains some additional settings for import and processing, as well as any automated reporting definitions. 

 

3. Deleting all but the finished project

Start Delta Watch and start deleting all projects except for the finished project, as this DB is going to be for the finished project only and will be archived separately later. For DW versions older than 3.10, see the section on How to delete a project pre DW 3.10 for details.

When using DW 3.10 or higher, this process is very simple and only takes a few moments. Follow the next steps, with reference to the illustrations below.

  1. Open the Project module.
  2. Select a project that needs deleting, it does not need to be active for us to do this.
  3. Click on the minus minus button.
  4. Check that all items are Checked and then click Delete.

 

If the selected project also has Delta Link and/or Total Station units assigned to it in the System Diagnostics module, then DW will make the user aware and ask if these items need to be removed. If the listed devices are not, and never have been, used in the project that is being archived, then it is safe to remove these devices at this stage.

 

  1. Confirm, or skip, removal of Delta Link and Total Station related items.
  2. Complete the Project removal by clicking Delete project.
  3. Repeat step 2 to 6 for any other project that is not going to be archived.

After completing this process, there should only be 1 project left in the DB and that is the project that needs archiving!


4. [optional] Remove mail server settings, disable automatic DB backups and add final logbook entry

To prevent emails and SMS messages to be sent in case the DB is accessed in the future, their function should be disabled. It is also a good idea to make a final logbook entry.

What How
Mail server Open the System Configuration module and navigate to the section mail server. Remove any mail server details
SMS alarming In the System Configuration module, find the section Automatic processing and disable SMS alarming. Possibly even remove the special key.
Logbook In the Projects module, activate the tab Logbook and Add a new entry with final comments and notes

5. [optional] Prepare to remove all raw observation data from the DB

To make the archived DB as small as possible, all raw data should be removed from the DB. As the data is already calculated, and most likely will not be recalculated, raw data can be safely removed, keeping only the calculated values. For details on how to do this, see the article about Database management in the section Reducing your DB size. Only do NOT make the backup as suggested, that is done in the next step.

In short: To reduce the DB size of the finished project, a cleanup data action is performed for all epochs in all networks in the project.


6. Make DB backup to archive location of the finished project

This backup of the DB will contain only the finished project. The target BKU files can have any name, suggest naming them such that it is clear it is an archive of a finished project.

Do NOT use the Delta Watch program folder for any Archiving as it greatly slows down the automated backup creation that can be scheduled in Delta Watch

 

7. Restore the original DB

In step 2 above: Make the first DB backup, a backup of the original DB was made, called TUNIS_WORKING.BKU. This backup needs to be restored. See the article about Database management on how to manually restore the file as TUNIS.FDB. Do not forget to do the same for the SCHEDULER file.

 

 

8. Delete the finished project

Start DW, and this time delete the finished project from the DB, follow the same steps as done earlier under section Deleting all but the finished project. BUT this time, when DW asks if it should also remove any Delta Link or Total Station items, select NO.

Why?
Keeping their data allows building up a usage and performance history, especially as the same equipment might be deployed on other projects.

 


9. [optional] Perform any other maintenance

If the current DB has various projects, then this is the time to do some additional maintenance. Especially if there are some networks spanning several months' worth of monitoring, then removing the raw data from all but, lets’ say, the last 2 months, will significantly reduce the overall DB size. See the article about Database management in the section about Reducing.DB size When done, close DW.


10. Perform final backup and restore action

With the finished project marked for removal in the current DB, as well as other maintenance that was performed, a final backup and restore action needs to be done. This will make the final DB size reduction and removes the old project permanently from this DB. Again, see the article about DB management on how to create a backup while skipping garbage collection, and then restore this backup.

When finished the file TUNIS.FDB should be significant smaller!

 

 

11. Restore all automation tasks for the active projects

The final action should be to enable all automation tasks again so that DW can continue to perform the real time monitoring function.

Enable What Field In Module
Automatic network processing Re-Activate automatic loading Networks
GNSS data processing Enable Processing, found in tab Sensor field configuration GNSS Array
Data import and Export tasks Either by editing the task and Check the Active field, found under extended settings. Or simply by Checking the Active field in the overview Import & Export

 

 

12. Finished

If DW runs again as it should, then the files TUNIS.BKU and SCHEDULER.BKU should be removed. Double check that DW is configured to make automatic backups, this can be found in the System Configuration module in the section Automatic backup.

TIP: Performing regular maintenance will keep the database small in size.


How to delete a project pre DW3.10

Deleting a project in DW versions prior to DW3.10 is a more time intensive task. In essence, it is the reverse process of creating it all. If an item cannot be deleted, then it is still in use somewhere.

Be aware when deleting images used for sensors, overviews or map backgrounds. These might also be in use in other projects.

Below is a basic list to deleting a project, depending on the version and your license, there might be additional modules not mentioned here.

Any time a change is made, or something is deleted, make sure to Apply the changes to the DB and to close all modules. Only work in one module at a time and close when done!

  1. Activate the project in the Projects module in the Administration group
  2. Disable any automation for the project:
    1. Networks
    2. GNSS arrays
  3. Import & Export module: Delete project related tasks
  4. System diagnostics module: Remove only the project related configurations
  5. Reporting module, delete any automated reports
  6. Project management group: delete all sensor fields in all modules
    1. User defined charts
    2. Overview
    3. Rail track
    4. GNSS Array
    5. Convergence
    6. Structural monitoring
    7. Meteorological
  7. Administration group
    1. Epoch module: Delete all Epochs from all networks
    2. Network module: Delete all networks
    3. System Configuration module
      1. Map section: Delete project related View configurations and optionally any related images from Referencing
      2. Background image section: Delete any project related images
    4. Point and Limit management module
      1. Sensor Management tab: delete all sensors
      2. All Point groups
  8. All Limits in Limit Monitoring
  9. Coordinate transformation module: all but the identity transformation!
  10. Point and Limit management module
    1. All Points, if a point cannot be deleted, DW will indicate where it is still in use!
    2. Any point type except the items Reference Point and Monitoring Point
  11. Projects module:
    1. Contacts tab: remove all contacts that are unique to the selected Project
  12. Remove the Project

 

Consider upgrading to Delta Watch v3.10 or newer!