3DEXPERIENCE FCS File Reconciliation

Introduction

File Reconciliation tool is developed to solve a very common problem of “missing files in store/location”. It generates excel file reports, which contains the list of files from object meta-data information (information as in a database) and gives a status of file availability on relevant locations/store folder path. The missing files scenario happens when files from locations/store folder path are deleted for various reasons, but object(s) still have the information (metadata) with the file path.

Symptoms

When the user tries to download such deleted files from 3DEXPERIENCE, he gets either of below error messages:

• FCS Server failure Response Code:400
• java.lang.Exception: 550 (followed by the STORE path/filename): The system cannot find the path specified

Scenario

Typically, administrator creates copy of the Production system in 2 ways to make Test/QA/Dev system:

• Create VM copy using VM Workstation
• Export Production database user. Import this database backup on Test/QA/Dev system

And user thinks they are completely independent and disconnected from the Production system.

But No. they are NOT. Your copy VM/Database still has exactly same STORE/Location definition as your production system. It still points to same host and file path of production.

So, when you delete the object from your copy VM/Database, you end up deleting object metadata from your copy VM/database, but that object still has file reference to your production system. So, along with object, file will also be deleted for sure.

End Result

Your production object still has the file as metadata in the database, but it does not know that its file from store/location is lost…!!!

Initial Production Server Status

Production Server Status after Database Copy / VM creation from Production

There is no straight single command, to identify objects whose files are missing from your location/store folder path. Also, the complexity of the problem increases when you have FCS configured. When FCS exists, you may have file lost from one FCS and it exists in STORE or another FCS location. In this case also, user will end up getting the error when he tries to get a file from his closest FCS where a file has been deleted. Because 3DEXPERIENCE does not sync the file again because as per its record, the file is already synced and exists.

So, thorough understanding of master file, synchronized file and synchronization status is required, to programmatically find which all files are missing. Also, when you have multiple files checked in to same object/format, report becomes more complex.

File Reconciliation tool generates this complex report of missing files with all possible scenarios.

Sample Report

Columns in Report

Type – type of an object to which the file is attached

Name – name of an object to which the file is attached

Revision – revision of an object to which the file is attached

Created Date – created date of an object to which the file is attached

Modified Date – last modified date of an object

Originated By – creator of the object

Format – format of the file attached to an object

File Name – name of the file attached to an object

File Modified Date – last modified date of the file attached to an object

Location Name – synchronized location/store of the file attached to an object

File Host IP – IP address of the host machine of location/store of the file

Physical Path – physical directory path of location/store of the file

Complete Path (absolute path) – complete physical path generated from path mentioned on location/store + “Physical Path”

File Exists? – If file exists on Complete Path (absolute path): TRUE, otherwise: FALSE

File Exist in Peer Location – TRUE if file does not exist in the current location but it exists in peer location. So, there is a possibility to restore file with sync command.

Sync Command – MQL command to force synchronize(copy) file from peer location to current location