Basic Steps You Should Learn; 10 Steps on How to Archive in Lotus Notes

January 2, 2019

Remember the old times when you could lose important documents or messages just because there were no convenient platforms to archive them? Well, gone are those days. We’re living in a technology-driven era where you don’t have to worry about losing confidential information or face legal action – if you’ve archived them, of course. Lotus Notes is a very convenient software with amazing features to enable you to enjoy all the benefits of archiving. Here are basic yet essential steps to help you learn how to archive in Lotus Notes. Please read on.

Run the Lotus Notes Software

This is the initial and most essential step especially when you want to proceed with manual steps. Before doing anything else, you’ll need to run the software which will allow you to perform any further operations. If you don’t have the software yet, you can consider checking some of the reputable Lotus Notes archive software suppliers available. You’ll then proceed by opening the Mail Database then the Action tab where you’ll get the options to Archive and Create Criteria. Here, the window of Create Archive Criteria will pop up.

Check Your File Size

There’s a limit to the file size that you can archive in Lotus Notes depending on the nature of what is being archived. Normally, the file size should be less than 500MB with other organizations sticking to less than 200MB. To check the size of your data, go to File˃ Database˃ Properties. And if you’re using Lotus 8, go to File˃ Applications˃ Properties. Proceed by clicking the “i” tab and your current data in the Notes is displayed by the number after “Disk Space”.

Understand Your Organization’s Predetermined Settings

Why are you using Lotus Notes? Is it for business or school purposes? Chances are, there may be archive settings already available. Organizations can benefit from these settings in the control of the number of documents or emails per user. They’re also useful in the control of computer performances within the organization. You’ll be lucky if the settings will be available. Maybe you’ll just have to check with your technical team if there’s anything you can modify. If the settings aren’t available, don’t worry. Just follow the next steps and you shall be alright.

Identify Your Preferred Archive Settings

When it comes to archiving in Lotus Notes, you can choose to archive specific notes or select all of them. You’ll also determine the frequency of the archiving process to take place – days, weeks or months. Start by opening the appropriate application then proceed to Actions˃ Archive˃ Settings. From the Criteria tab, select the “Default for last modified” and save the changes by clicking “ok”. Ensure the Criteria is enabled before proceeding to the next step.

Narrow Down Your Options

On clicking the Archive settings option from the software tools, 3 tabs will be displayed – basics, settings, and advanced. The Basics tab is responsible for controlling the workspace and server settings. You’ll get to choose from Workstation to Workstation archive, Workstation to Server archive, or Server to Server archive options. The Settings tab is used to enable and disable the archiving by giving you the options to edit after selecting the name of your archive folder. The Advanced tab displays the archived database and the archive schedule if any.

Filling the Criteria Details

Probably, you’ll be archiving quite a number of emails and documents. This can be confusing and time-consuming when trying to retrieve one of the files if you poorly name the criteria or mix up the details. Therefore, ensure the details such as the Selection Criteria – which allows you to select the documents and emails that you want to archive and Criteria Name are properly outlined and concise. After you’re satisfied with the criteria details, proceed by clicking the “ok” button.

Schedule an Automatic Archiving

We’re human beings and are bound to forget things once in a while. Especially if you have loads and loads of business responsibilities before you. But there’s a solution to almost every problem. You can schedule an automatic archive to enable for regular and consistent archiving. This is a very convenient method that can save you much time. Start by opening the appropriate application, then go to Actions˃ Archive˃ Settings. Thereafter, click the Schedule tab and select the Schedule Archiving. You’ll then select your preferred day and time that you’d want your PC to perform automatic archiving. Ensure your PC is always on during each day and time the scheduled archiving is set to take place.

Manual Archiving of Your Notes

While you can schedule an automatic archiving of your notes and wait for it to take place, there may be times that you’ll want to archive manually. Perhaps, if the automatic archiving seems a bit far. Which is very ok and possible as well. Here, you’ll start by opening the appropriate application then the folder or mail that you’re interested in archiving. Proceed to Actions˃ Archive˃ Archive Now. Depending on your predetermined settings, you should click Yes to allow the archiving of your notes and you’ll be done.

Apply the Drag and Drop Method

This is another common and a simple step that you can apply if you want to manually archive your notes. To do this, start by opening the appropriate application such as the Mail then open your folder or mail of interest. Thereafter, proceed by selecting the appropriate messages to archive and drag them to the appropriate Archive in your Navigation Pane. Just like that.

View Archived Messages/Documents

Archiving is not a permanent process. You’ll still need to access your archived document or mail once in a while. The folders that you’ve set up in your account will be mimicked by your archive file. The way you organized your files initially shall remain unaltered. To view your archived notes, you need to open the appropriate application then look for the Archive in the Navigation pane and open it. Here, you’ll then look for the appropriate archive containing the files.

Conclusion

Archiving is very essential especially when dealing with sensitive information. This allows you to save messages and documents in some database different from that which can be accessed by the somehow unauthorized persons. These basic steps are enough to guide you through the archive process using Lotus Notes. Enhance the safety of your sensitive information today by using the Lotus Notes software.