SAN Orphaned File Cleanup Utility (SOFC)

Running the Attachment Purge utility leaves orphaned files on your organization’s servers (files whose Applied Epic database references have been deleted but which still exist in the file system). Orphaned files may also exist after you resolve a data corruption issue or run a script.

To make efficient use of storage space and improve backup performance, organizations hosting Applied Epic on-premises should run the SAN Orphaned File Cleanup (SOFC) utility after performing an attachment purge.

Running the SOFC Utility

Before running the utility, disable any Storage Tiering that may be in place, as the SOFC utility scans Epic archives and modifies the date accessed. Once the cleanup has completed, the date accessed will be restored and you can re-enable Storage Tiering.

To run the SOFC utility, you must have network access to the file storage area of Applied Epic and write access to the CentralDB on the SQL Server.

1. Access the CentralServer/Software folder on a Central Server.
2. Run ASI.SMART.Tools.SANOrphanedFileCleanup.exe.
3. In the Database server name field, enter the name of the Microsoft SQL server running the CentralDB.
4. Log in to the utility using either a Windows domain user account and password or SQL Server authentication.
• To connect automatically using the same Windows user credentials you used to log in to the server, select the Connect using Windows Authentication checkbox. Click Connect.
  
  Note: This account must either be an admin on the server or a domain admin.
• To connect using SQL Server authentication, deselect the Connect using Windows Authentication checkbox. Enter the SQL Admin user and SQL Admin password and click Connect.
5. Select the server running the CentralDB from the CentralDB dropdown menu.
6. The Product Database list populates with the selected CentralDB’s databases. Select the checkbox for each Applied Epic product database on which to run the SOFC utility.
7. Specify a Date last modified range for the files to be cleaned up. Using the same date criteria as the purge is recommended.
• Due to file structure, running the utility on a small number of Epic databases at a time for the entire date range is more efficient than running the utility over all Epic databases for a small portion of the date range at a time.
• The SOFC utility can only remove files that are at least seven days old.
8. Click Run to start the utility. If you click Cancel while the utility is running, the utility will stop after it finishes cleaning the current archive. Canceling the process is strongly discouraged, however, as it may result in corrupted archives.

SOFC Log Files

Running the SOFC utility creates a log file in the directory in which you ran the utility. The log file provides a record of each file removed by the Attachment Purge utility. The log records the SOFC utility's start and completion times and the following information for each file removed:

• Timestamp: The date and time the log entry was added
• Database: The name of the database on which you ran the utility
• Database Version: The version of the database on which you ran the utility
• TicketID: A unique ID value assigned to the attachment
• OriginalFileName: The original paths and file names of the purged files
• FileSize: The size of each file removed
• Status: The status of the file, which indicates whether it updated successfully at the time it was attached in Applied Epic. This information can be useful for troubleshooting purposes.
• Message: This status message indicates whether the cleanup of the file was successful and displays information about any errors that may have occurred during the cleanup attempt, which you can use for troubleshooting purposes if necessary.