Introduction
In the latest version of Connections Online 4.1, the on demand archiving system was removed and replaced by an automatic monthly archiving system. In addition to this, the ability to view items archived in Connections Online 4.0 was added as well. These options are accessible to all users with Read security. The following sections outline how to use these new features.
The Archive Menu
On each page in Connections Online 4.1, there is a new Archive menu available from the Archive icon in the right sidebar. Clicking the Archive icon will display options for the page as shown below.
The above image shows the following:
- Monthly Archives from 2013 and 2012. These are full site archives done on the 1st of each month. The monthly archives are labeled by previous month. For example, the archive created December 1st, 2013 would be labeled November 2013 in the sidebar. Bold month names indicate the current page item is available in that monthly archive. Click the month and it will open the item as it was at the end of that month.
- 4.0 Archives Dates - List of archives created in Connections Online 4.0 for the current page item. Hover over the date to get the timestamp. Click the date to open a report for the item.
- Link to 4.0 Archives - This link provides access to the 4.0 Archive list page which lists the archive dates available for the current page item as well as any children including Critical Measures, Project Metrics and Dialogs, or Individual Metrics. The "Viewing 4.0 Archived Items" section describes this in more detail.
How Do the Monthly Archives Work?
The monthly archives are automatic backups of the entire Connections Online system. This backup is done at 2am EST on the 1st of each month. Upon release, there are monthly archives available back to November 2012.
To open a monthly archive, navigate to any page in the 4.1 application and click the month to open the archive for that month. Remember, months that are in bold indicate that the current page exists in that month's archive. If the date is not bold, it will still open the archive but to a different page. The same thing will happen if the current user did not have Read access to the item as of the selected month.
The Archive application has a different appearance from the live application. It is colored in grey with all edit buttons removed and with an orange box on the right-hand side indicating which monthly archive is currently open. Users can also switch to another archive by clicking the "Select Another Archive" link in the orange box. The following screenshot shows the "5. Alameda Branch Opening" sample Project as contained in the August 2013 Monthly Archive:
To switch to a different Archive, click "Select Another" in the orange box. The following screen will open allowing selection from all available monthly archives:
Viewing 4.0 Archived Items
The ability to view 4.0 archives has been added to 4.1. There are many ways to access the available items. Since 4.0 archive items are read-only, they are viewed through reports and not through the application pages directly.
Archive Lists
There are four 4.0 Archive lists in the application. The lists are similar across the pages with some minor differences.
Site Archive List
The Site Archive list can be found on the Site Administration page under the Archives tab. This list shows all items from the 4.0 Archives that are available to view. This includes Projects with Metrics and Dialogs, Critical Measures, and Individual Metrics. The following screenshot shows the Site Archive List for "Demo Site". By expanding the "Alameda Branch Opening" project, the archive dates available for the project and any metrics or dialogs in those dates become available.
To find a report:
- Filter the list by the specific type of item using the View box at the top of the module. The options are Projects, Critical Measures, Project Metrics, and Individual Metrics.
- Use the Filter the box at the top of the Name column or browse through the list to locate the item.
- Refer to the following section to access the reports.
To access an Archive report:
- To view the Connection report for an archived item, expand the item in the list to see the Archive dates available.
- Click on the desired Archive date to open the report.
Please note:
- Clicking on a Project name will navigate to the Project Archive List page for that item. See the following section “Project Archive List” for more information.
- Project Tasks are only available on the Project Connection Report as there is no Task Connection Report available. Project Metrics and Dialogs do have their own report and can be accessed as follows:
- Under the desired Project, expand the desired Archive date to see Metrics and Dialogs available for that Project and Archive date.
- Click on the Metric or Dialog name to open the Connection Report for that item.
Organization or Department Archive List
This list shows all Critical Measures and Projects, with their Project Metrics and Dialogs, for the given Organization or Department. It is similar to the Site Archive List but only contains items belonging to the current Organization or Department. To find and access a report, follow the instructions provided in the previous section “Site Archive List”.
Project Archive List
This list shows all of the Archives available for the Project and also for any Project Metrics and Dialogs for the given Project.
To access a Project Connection Report:
- Expand the Project in the list to see the Archive dates available.
- Click on the desired Archive date to open the report for that date.
To access as Metric or Dialog Connection Report:
- Under the Project, expand the desired Archive date. The number of items is located next to the archive dates. If there is no number listed or the number is zero, there are no Metrics or Dialogs available for that date.
- Click on the Metric or Dialog name to open the Connection Report for that item.
Individual Archive List
This list shows all Individual Metrics available in the 4.0 Archives. To access a Metric:
- Locate the Metric in the list by using the Filter box on the Name column or by browsing to the item.
- Expand the item to see the Archive dates available.
- Click on the desired Archive date to open the report.
Archive Reports
At the top of each report, an orange label displays from which archive the report was generated. This is to help prevent confusion between 4.1 and 4.0 reports and to specify which archive the user has opened. The following screenshot shows the Project Connection report for an example Project, "Alameda Branch Opening", from the 10/25/2013 10:00 AM archive.
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