Deleting records in Concordance Desktop

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Deleting records in Concordance Desktop

Deleting records is a two-step process: records are marked for deletion, then the database is packed to permanently remove the records. Packing a database permanently deletes the records from the database, and there is no undo function for this process.

Before permanently deleting any records, you first need to run a query for all records marked for deletion to review the documents.  It is recommended that you remove any tags applied to the deleted records. For more information, see About deleting records.

You can also permanently delete all records in the current database using the Zap menu command on the Administration menu. When you zap a database, all documents and search files are erased and free space is returned to Concordance Desktop.  

To Mark Records for Deletion

For step-by-step instructions to mark individual and multiple records for deletion, see Deleting records in the Using Concordance Desktop module.

To Search for Deleted Records

1.On the Search menu, click Search for documents marked for deletion.

2.Clicking Search for documents marked for deletion creates a query of the records currently marked for deletion in the database.

i.When a record is marked for deletion, DEL is displayed on the Status bar.

3.In the Browse or Table view, review the records in the query to determine whether the records should be permanently removed from the database.

4.If any records in the query should not be permanently deleted, remove the delete status from the applicable records.

i.To remove the delete status from a record, see To unmark individual records for deletion in the Deleting records topic.

5.If you removed the delete status from any records in the query, click Search for documents marked for deletion on the Search menu again to update the query to only include the records you want to permanently delete.

To Export the Records Marked for Deletion

After reviewing the records marked for deletion and updating the query to only include the records that will be permanently deleted, it is best practice to export these records to another database.

Always export your deleted records before you pack the database, just in case you need to retrieve them later. Once you pack a database, any records marked for deletion are permanently removed. There is no undo function for this process.

Use the Export As a Concordance Desktop database menu command to export the records marked for deletion. When you use the Export As a Concordance Desktop database menu command, Concordance Desktop exports all the records in the current query to a new database. For more information and step-by-step instructions, see Exporting databases.

To Pack the Database

After backing up the records marked for deletion, you are ready to permanently remove the records from the database.

Remember, there is no undo function for this process. Records are immediately and permanently removed from the database, unless you export a copy of your deleted records.

You cannot pack a concatenated set of databases remotely, you must perform packing from the Concordance Desktop server machine.

1.On the File menu, click Administration, then Pack, and then Database.

2.Clicking Database opens the Administration dialog box.

3.In the User field, type the administrator's user ID.

4.In the Password field, type the administrator's password.

5.Click OK.

i.Clicking OK opens the Pack dialog box and starts the pack process.

ii.When Concordance Desktop finishes permanently deleting the records marked for deletion, the Pack dialog box closes.

6.Verify that the records were deleted.

i.To verify the records were deleted, open the Table view and scan your record listing. The records marked for deletion should no longer be listed.

If you have an ACCESSID field in your database, you will notice that the accession number does not readjust for deleted records. This allows you to view gaps in your database records.

It is best practice to pack the dictionary after packing the database. For more information, see Packing the dictionary.

To Zap a Database

Zapping a database permanently deletes every record in the active database. All documents and search files are erased and free space is returned to Concordance Desktop. If databases are concatenated, only the documents and search files in the primary database are erased when you zap a database in a set of concatenated databases.

It is best practice to not give users access to the Zap menu command due to the risks involved in deleting all records in a database. There is no undo function for this process.

1.On the File menu, click Administration, and then Zap.

i.Clicking Zap opens the Administration dialog box.

3.In the User field, type the administrator's user ID.

4.In the Password field, type the administrator's password.

5.Click OK.  A confirmation dialog displays.

6.Click Yes to zap the database.

i.Click No to cancel the zap process.

After the zap process completes, No documents in query is displayed on the Status bar.