Analyzing Storage by File Type
The Storage by File Type analysis provides both a graphical and tabular representation of the amount of storage used by various file types in the content database(s), both by file size and count. You have the option of including all file types, or including/excluding those with specified file extensions.
You can also drill down to a Most/Least Storage Analysis for a selected file type, to view files using the largest amount of storage.
NOTE: This analysis encompasses files within SharePoint content databases. Files stored within the file system, such as SharePoint Features, are not included.
To generate a Storage by File Type analysis:
1Select the object(s) you want to include in your analysis.
2Choose Storage > Storage by File Type.
3Specify the following parameters for your analysis:
If you want include or exclude specific file types:
§Specify whether you want to Include Extensions or Exclude Extensions.
§Enter the file extension(s) you want to include or exclude in the File Extensions field. Enter multiple extensions as a comma-separated list.
NOTE: If you want include all file types, leave the File Extensions field blank. If you chose Exclude Extensions, you must enter at least one file extension.
For Number of files to show in drill-down, enter the number of files that use the most amount of storage upon drilling down to an analysis for a selected file type.
Now you can:
·run the operation immediately (by clicking the [Run Now] button)
OR
·schedule the operation to run at a later time or on a recurring basis.
OR
·save the operation as XML Instructions that can be run at a later time.
Analysis results include:
·two pie charts that depict the Storage by File Size and Storage by Type for the selected scope and file types.
·a listing that includes the Extension(s), Total Files and Total Size (MB) for each file type.
Click an Extension(s) hyperlink to generate a Most/Least Storage analysis that shows the files with that extension that use the most storage (the number of which was specified in the Number of Files to Show in Drill-down).
Analyzing Content of Recycle Bins
The Recycle Bin Report lets you examine the contents of Recycle Bins for one or more site collections in your SharePoint farm.
To generate a Recycle Bin Report:
1Select the object(s) on which you want to perform the analysis.
2Choose Storage > Recycle Bins.
3Specify whether or not you want to Display with results expanded.
Now you can:
·run the operation immediately (by clicking the [Run Now] button)
OR
·schedule the operation to run at a later time or on a recurring basis.
OR
·save the operation as XML Instructions that can be run at a later time.
The top level of analysis results lists:
·the Web application(s) within the scope of your analysis that contain Recycle Bin items
·the site collection containing the recycle bin items
·the total size of the items in all recycle bins.
When expanded, the following additional information displays:
·the Recycle Bin for each site collection within the scope of your analysis, along with the size (in KB) of all of the items contained within it
·for each item in a Recycle Bin:
§an icon that represents the file Type
§the Title of the item
§the Directory from which the item was deleted
§the user account that the item was Created by
§the user account that the item was Deleted By
§the date the item was Deleted On
§the Size of the item in kilobytes (KB):
Finding Duplicate Files
The Duplicate Files Report lets you to locate files across lists and libraries in your farm that have the same file name, extension, and relative size. You may want to use the information in this report to help you free up storage space in content databases.
Note About "Common" File Names and Extensions
Lists of "common file names" and "common file extensions" are maintained in XML files located on the Web front-end server where ControlPoint is installed, in the following SharePoint hive subdirectory: \TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS\Axceler\App_Data.
The purpose of these lists is to give you the option of either including or excluding frequently used files from analysis results. You can customize the XML files to include file names and extensions specific to your environment. For example, you may want to filter out company-specific files that are in multiple document libraries by design. You can also remove any of the default names and extensions.
Files containing common file names and extensions are described in the following table.
|
File |
Description |
|---|---|
|
DuplicateFiles_CommonFileNames_Wildcards.xml |
Names in this file will be added to the Include File Extensions only parameter. By default, this file includes the entry *.000, which gives you the option of excluding SharePoint temporary files from results. You can specify additional wildcards that you can exclude from analysis results. Enter wildcards in one of the following formats: ·*name ·name* ·*name*' Examples: ·*.aspx ·template.* ·*page* |
|
DuplicateFiles_Extensions.xml |
By default, this file includes both file extensions associated with SharePoint templates and many common file formats, allowing you to filter results to include files with specific extensions. NOTE: This file is shared with the Storage by File type. |
Changes that you make to these files must be copied to any additional Web front-end servers in your farm. Also, whenever you install a ControlPoint update or patch, these files are overwritten with files containing the default lists. Therefore, if you choose to make modifications, it is recommended that you keep a backup of the file in a different location so that you can replace the default version after an update or patch.
To generate a Duplicate Files Report:
1Select the object(s) for which you want to find duplicate files.
2Choose Storage > Duplicate Files.
3Specify one or more parameters for your analysis. Use the information in the following table for guidance.
|
If you want to ... |
Then ... |
|---|---|
|
include only files that are either Files in Document Libraries or Attachments to List Items |
select the appropriate option from the Include drop-down |
|
include only files with specific file extensions |
select from the Include File Extensions only list box. (You can select multiple items using the [Shift] and [Ctrl] keys in the conventional manner.) REMINDER: This list is populated by DuplicateFiles_Extensions.xml, located in the SharePoint hive subdirectory: \TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS\ Axceler\App_Data. |
|
include only files whose name include a particular text string |
enter the text string in the File Name Contains field. |
|
include only duplicate files of which there are more than two (2) instance |
change the default value for Minimum Number of Duplicates. For example, if you enter 3, results will include only files for which three or more instances exist. |
|
consider files whose size varies within a specified percentage to be "duplicates" |
specify a File Size Matching Threshold (%) NOTE: The default value of 5% is intended to take into account variations in metadata and version histories that may be found in files that otherwise have exactly the same content (this often occurs with Microsoft Office files, for instance). Changes in file size can occur when they are uploaded to SharePoint. If you want all files with the same file name and type to be included, regardless of size, enter 0. |
|
sort results by Number of Duplicates or File Size |
select the appropriate option from the Sort By drop-down. By default, results are sorted by File Size.. |
Now you can:
·run the operation immediately (by clicking the [Run Now] button)
OR
·schedule the operation to run at a later time or on a recurring basis.
OR
·save the operation as XML Instructions that can be run at a later time.
Analysis results include all duplicate files that meet the criteria of your analysis, along with the following information:
·File Name
·Average Size (MB)
·Number of Duplicates
When expanded, the following additional information displays for each group of duplicate files:
·The URL for the list or library where each file is located
·The Size (MB) of each file
·The File Version Number
NOTE: If versioning is not enabled for a document library or if the file is an attachment to a list, the version number will always display as 1.0.
·The user the file was last Modified By.
NOTE: The Number of Duplicates represents the total number of files found. The URL column lists those for which you have permissions.
Analyzing Content
ControlPoint provides the following tools for analyzing site content:
·The Metadata Usage analysis shows where and how Managed Metadata is used in SharePoint Server farms
·The Content Types analysis shows properties and usage details of SharePoint content types.
·The Recycle Bin Report lets you examine the contents of recycle bins for one or more site collections.
·The Web Parts analysis include detailed statistics about Web Parts used in selected sites.
You can also analyze trends in site count over a specified time period.