Identifying and bulk-deleting the abandoned/unused analysis files present in the Spotfire library.

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Article ID: KB0138503

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Updated On:

Products	Versions
Spotfire Server	14.7.0 and above

Description

This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to use specific Library search strings and SQL queries to identify old, unused, or never-opened Spotfire reports. Following these methods allows administrators to safely purge abandoned files, reduce library backup sizes, and optimize Spotfire Server performance.

Environment

All

Resolution

Method 1: Using the Built-in Library Administrator UI Search:

In the Analyst client, Tools > Library Administration > In the search bar at the top, type this exact syntax:

1. To find reports not opened or modified in over 6 months:

type:dxp accessed:<"6 months ago" modified:<"6 months ago"

2. To find reports that are not opened or modified in over 6 months, including those never opened since creation:

(type:dxp accessed:<"6 months ago" modified:<"6 months ago") OR (type:dxp accessed:null modified:<"6 months ago")

Method 2: Querying the Spotfire Database (SQL Server):

If you prefer to generate a result of items to identify via SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), use the following read-only query.
This identifies files that have either never been accessed or haven't been opened in over a specified duration (for eg, 90 days, etc.).

SELECT 

    ITEM_ID AS [Report_GUID],
    TITLE AS [Report_Name],
    ACCESSED AS [Last_Accessed_Date],
    MODIFIED AS [Last_Modified_Date]

FROM 
    dbo.LIB_ITEMS 

WHERE 
    -- Filter strictly for Spotfire Analysis (dxp) files
    ITEM_TYPE = 'g00df00d-0000-0000-0000-000000000004' 
    AND (
        -- Captured files not opened in over a year OR never opened at all
        ACCESSED < DATEADD(day, -90, GETUTCDATE()) 
        OR ACCESSED IS NULL
    )

ORDER BY 
    [Last_Accessed_Date] ASC, 
    [Last_Modified_Date] ASC;

Disclaimer: The content of this article is for informational purposes only. The subject material may change in any new versions with no notice and there is no responsibility by CSG to maintain or support future access to this internal application content. Modification of any internal application content is not recommended and can lead to an unsupported configuration. It is not intended to be used "As Is" in a Production environment. Always test in a Development environment.

Once you have finally identified the abandoned/unused reports, you can delete them via:

1. Library Administration: To select multiple items, use Ctrl or Shift and delete them simultaneously.

2. Using command line interface: (delete-library-items).

Issue/Introduction

Having too many old or unused reports in your Spotfire Library can slow down searches, make system backups too large, and waste server memory. This article shows you how to identify and safely delete these old files using either the built-in Library Admin search bar or a safe, read-only SQL database query.