Archiving

Over time Genie's data file will grow in size as new records are added. In a busy multi-doctor practice it can grow to significant sizes. After a few years it is not unusual to have a data file 300 to 500MB in size.

This is particularly so, if you are downloading pathology results electronically, and/or writing many letters. Unlike scanned images which are stored externally to your data file, pathology and letters are imported into your data file, thus adding to it's size.

Is a Large Data File a Problem?

Genie will function equally well whether your data file is 50MB or 500MB. The only restriction occurs when the data file reaches 2GB (2,000 MB) since this is the size limit of a single data file.

At this stage, the data file can be segmented, so that you now have 2 data files. If the second file hits 2GB, then it can also be segmented to create a third, forth and so on. This means that effectively, there is no limit to the amount of data you can store.

However, keeping things simple is always better, and a single data file is easier to look after than multiple data files. Also, routine maintenance and emergency jobs like compacting or recovering a damaged data file will be faster.

Before Archiving

There are a couple of things to do before performing an archive:

Performing the Archive Routines

Genie provides the ability to archive both downloaded pathology results and patient correspondence. These routines are performed in the Maintenance & Reports window (File > Maintenance & Reports).

Archiving can be performed on a client machine, or by using the single-user version of Genie on the server. There is no speed difference between the two.

Note: If you are archiving many records the process may be quite lengthy. You won’t be able to do anything else on this machine whilst the archiving is in progress, and the rest of the network will run slowly. For this reason, it is recommended that you perform the Archiving process at non-peak times only.

To archive old letters, click on the Archive Patient Correspondence button. You will be prompted as to the cutoff limit in months. A search will then be made for old letters and you will be asked to confirm that you want to archive them. Click the Archive button to proceed.

To archive pathology results, click the Archive Pathology Results button. You will be prompted as to the cutoff limit in months. A search will then be made for old letters and you will be asked to confirm that you want to archive them. Click the Archive button to proceed.

What Actually Happens

If performing this on a client machine, the client instructs the server machine to perform the actual archiving. This works in much the same way as images and other attachments are handled.

Genie loops through each record to be archived, and creates a folder for each individual patient (if it doesn't already exist), inside the Images folder. Inside the patient folder, another folder called “Archived Results” or “Archived Letters” is created. Inside this folder, a file is created containing the actual archived data.

If you are archiving pathology results, a plain text file is created. The name of this file is made up of the unique ID number of the result and the name of the actual test. For example, if you are archiving a FBC result for John Smith, the pathway on the server would look something like this:

C:\Genie\Images\S\SmithJ1234\Archived Results\423-FBC.TXT on Windows, or /Applications/Genie/Images/S/SmithJ1234/Archived Results/423-FBC.TXT on Macintosh.

If you are archiving patient correspondence, the file containing the letter is created in Rich Text Format (RTF), so that the formatting of the letter is preserved, and so that it can subsequently be opened by any word processor. The name of this file is made up of the unique ID number of the letter and the Title or Addressee. For example, the pathway would look something like this:

C:\Genie\Images\S\SmithJ1234\Archived Letters\789-Dr Peter Jackson.RTF on Windows, or, /Applications/Genie/Images/S/SmithJ1234/Archived Letters/789-Dr Peter Jackson.RTF on Macintosh.

Note: The naming of these files is very important, because this is how Genie finds them again if ever you need to view them. YOU MUST NOT CHANGE THE FILE NAME.

Viewing Archived Files

Once a file has been archived, it is still quickly and easily accessible from within Genie.

The archive process doesn’t delete the original record. It only extracts the data which is taking up the space. In the case of pathology results, this is the actual text of the result itself.

The record is still in Genie with all the information about who ordered the result, the date, the test name etc. In the case of letters, it is only the body of the letter which is archived.

Dates and Addressees are still present with the original record.

If you wish to view a letter which has previously been archived, simply double-click on the letter in the patient’s Clinical window as you normally would. Genie recognises that the letter has been archived and asks the server to retrieve it. The whole process is totally transparent.

Note: When you open an archived letter, it becomes “de-archived”. That is, the body of the letter will stay within the data file until you next run the archiving procedure.

If you wish to view a pathology result which has been archived, just click on the result in the patient’s Clinical window, and Genie will ask the server to return the body of the result, which should then appear in the usual place.

Compacting the Data File

After archiving results and/or letters, the data file does NOT automatically shrink in size. To reclaim the space you have created, you need to compact the data file using 4D Tools - Recover By Tags. For detailed instructions on this process, see the section on 4D Tools.

Backing Up the Archive

Now that a great deal of important data is stored in the Images folder on the server, you will, of course, be very keen to backup this data to a safe place!

Burning a copy of the Images Folder to a CD and storing it with the CD with the intact data file would be a very good idea.