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How to archive calls in Total Response

This article explains how to archive calls within the Administrator Module of Total Response.

Before You Begin

  • If this is the first time you are running the Archive process, please submit a ticket to our support team to discuss the full process and best practices before starting.
  • Ensure you have access to the Total Response Admin Module with an Administrator account as well as access to the Server where the files/database will be stored
  • Verify you have sufficient storage space at both your archive location and database backup location.
    • Confirm the archive and backup folders already exist or be ready to create them (e.g., Archive_[MM-YYYY] and DatabaseBackups).
    • Note: Create a backup/archive folder ON the server and not someone's computer;  use that same folder for all subsequent archives.
  • Make sure the system is in a stable state — ideally, no active calls or heavy usage while archiving.
  • Know the cut-off date you want to use for Archive data before.
    • Best Practice is to run this process yearly. It is recommended to create a reminder to ensure this process is run yearly.
    • For a high call volume center, please discuss this with your IT department and Total Response Technical Support team, as you may need to archive more regularly.
  • Additional Precautions:
    • If the server storing your archive or backup files goes down, you could lose access to them. To reduce this risk, make sure the archive and backup folders are also stored in a secondary secure location. 
    • Most sites that perform regular server backups will automatically include these files, but it’s a good idea to verify that your archive and database backup folders are covered in your backup plan.
       

Steps to Archive Calls in Total Response
 

  1. Log in to Total Response Admin Module, ideally on the server, with an Administrator account. (If unable to run from Admin Module on the server, credentials to the location on the server where the files/database will be stored will be needed)
     
  2. From the main navigation, select Tools > Archive Data.
     
  4. Check the box next to Closed Calls & Incident Record.

     
  5. Check the box next to Scheduled if you would like to schedule your archive for a date in the future.
    1. A Windows Server scheduled task box will appear. Complete the required fields to schedule. 
    2. We recommend reaching out to our Technical Support team to assist your IT team with Scheduling Archives.
       
  6. Enter the months in the Archive Data Older Than field.
    1. Please Note: selected data will be archived and no longer available in the Call Records but can be restored from the archived files if necessary
    2. Best Practice is to run this for 13 months max and then run yearly.
       
  7. Select the Archive to Files or Archive to Database option.
     
  8. Folder Locations for Archive and Backup Database  
    1. Please note: if you are on the server where the backup and archive data will be stored on, then you can browse to the location.  If you are NOT on that server, you will need access to a share name that looks like for example: \\NameOfServer\Share or \\NameOfServer\C$. 

      Please do not hesitate to reach out to Total Response Technical Support for assistance with identifying the correct path as this path will be unique to each agency and how they manage archives/backups. Folder Locations for Archive and Backup Database
    2. Enter the archive file name by clicking the Browse button [...] located next to the Archive to Folder field (see illustration below) and browsing to the folder where the archive will be saved.
      1. Click Browse (or the folder icon).
      2. Navigate to your designated backup location.
      3. Create a new folder (for example  Archive_[MM-YYYY]) to organize the archive.
      4. Select this folder so the system saves the archived call files there.
    3. Backup Database to Folder: You can also set an option to create a full database backup by checking the box next to the "Backup full database to" field, and specifying the folder where the database backup will be saved as follows:
      1. Click the Browse button [...l] next to Backup Database to Folder:
      2. Navigate to the location where you store your regular system/database backups.
      3. Create or select a folder (for example: DatabaseBackups).
      4. Confirm this folder is selected so the system saves the full database backup there.
  9. Review all settings: data type, archive date, and file paths.
     
  10. To preview the data that will be archived, click Preview Data.
     

  11. The Preview window displays a list of calls and, if the Dispatch module is in use, incidents that will be archived based on the selected start date.

     

  12. After you have previewed the archive data:
    1. Click Archive Data to complete the archive process.
    2. Click Close if you do not want to continue with the archive.
  13. If you did not click “Archive Data” in the Preview, to complete the process, on the Archive Data window, click Archive.
  14. The progress of the archive will be displayed at the bottom of the Archive Data dialog box. At completion it will read Archive 100% successful.

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