POPIMS uses specific rules, along with User specified parameters, to archive the information. The user maintained archiving parameters give you the flexibility to control how long POPIMS keeps information once it is complete.

POPIMS archives information from each database separately, providing the information satisfies the prerequisite archiving conditions and is older than the User specified number of days.

This method provides maximum flexibility in that it allows you to archive information from each database when you want. It also ensures that information still referenced by other POPIMS databases is not archived, thus maintaining data integrity within the system.

Archiving summary reports and optional detail reports show all information archived by POPIMS. The archived information is also available in a format similar to that held on the POPIMS database, in case you need to access it at a later date .

PA60 and PA61 are used to maintain archiving parameters. With the exception of the Price History Date, all archiving parameters are based on a number of days since a certain event happened.

The archiving programs use these figures, along with a set of rules for each database, to determine which records can be archived.

When information is archived, POPIMS stores it on files in a predetermined format. Each database archiving suite produces a summary report of the information archived. In addition, the user can request a detail report for any or all archived databases which will show all of the archived information from the run.

Each database has its own set of archiving rules which are explained in more detail in the System Administration User Guide - section 7.