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.
When the user tries to download such deleted files from 3DEXPERIENCE, he gets either of below error messages:
Typically, administrator creates copy of the Production system in 2 ways to make 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.
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…!!!
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.
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
Restore files once you have report of missing files
