How to Generate Open File Report

Open file errors are by far the biggest contributor to failures and resulting low success
rates. The idea is to identify files that caused the open file errors, analyze and act towards
reducing these errors in turn increasing the success percentage of the account.
This report helps to identify common file naming patterns that can be used to isolate open
file errors. Assess the work effort to implement a particular exclude list and to assess the
benefit of implementing the derived exclude list. This report is used to show the customer
open file errors and work on a mutual agreement on how the handle them.
How to generate the Open File Error Detail Action Weekly Report:
SNO ALGORITHM
1
The report is generated by logging in to BOCADA reporting tool > Backup
Improvement Report section > BI(7) - Open File Error Details.
2
Download the file with csv format and Save the file with .xlsx format
2
Three additional columns viz. Owner, Backups Required(Y/N) and Comments are
inserted.
3
The open files are sorted alphabetically.
4
The files are compared with the previous reports and the repeating files are
identified.
5
If action has already been initiated a follow-up is done on those actions.
6
If new open file errors are found the owner of those files is found from our
database.
7
A request/SR is raised accordingly through email/ticket informing about the open
file errors and to agree mutually on the action to be taken on these files.
8
Either the files are excluded from backup or backup is rescheduled accordingly.
9
The report is monitored after the implementation of the action and updated.
10
This has resulted in reducing the number of open file errors.
Bocada Reporting tool - Backup Improvement Section - Open file Error detail
Report Option Screen shot:

Here is a sample Open file report that is sent to our customer on a weekly basis:
C:\Documents and
Settings\Administrator\Desktop\Week04_Open_File_Error_Details.xls

Week04_Open_File_Error_Details.xls

The following request is sent to the owner of the files with the below template:
We need to get approval to exclude some files that are not being backed up during the
nightly backups.
In reviewing the reports for files that are being skipped or failing to backup we have
come up with the following that we need to find out if we can exclude them from backup.
Below is a list of Window's file that is in question. The backups reported an error code 4
which usually indicates a partially completed backup.
This occurs most often on hosts that have objects which:

access to the object is denied

object is in use by another process

object has changed during processing

Would you like to:
a)
exclude these files from the backup
b)
change the backup scheduled time ie: if there is a process running on the host
computer at a specific time, we can change the backup time such that it doesn't interfere
with this process.
c)
back this file up anyway, regardless of whether if it open. (applies to DOS ASCII
text files only)
Please advice. Thank you.
When to generate the report:
The report provides the list of open file error details for the last 7 days. The duration of
this report is shortened so that we get to know the open files errors on a daily basis and
initiate action on those files on a daily basis.
Benefit and Mutual agreement with our customer:
After the implementation of this reporting process we have seen considerable reduction in
the number of open file backup errors. The Manpower Account Customer is very happy
with the steps taken to minimize open file errors. Customer has requested for this report
to be send on a weekly basis to track the trend which is now mutually agreed and
implemented.