MEDITECH
Data Archiving
product brief

MEDITECH's Data Archiving application for the Client/Server Release of its Health Care Information System (HCIS) is a cost-effective system for the permanent storage of computer-generated reports and scanned documents.

Highlights:
   • Allows users to retrieve, view, and print historical reports
   • Provides a safe storage location for historical reports
   • Saves space by storing only a print image of the report (reports are typically only 5-10 KB/page)
   • Acts as a separate storage area for archived reports
   • Allows for either automated or manual archiving
   • Works with each application’s purge features to control the size of live databases
   • Protects against data loss by ensuring archive is successful before purging.

Standard Features

Data Archiving employs the same industry-standard, Microsoft® Windows NT®-based file system as MEDITECH’s Client/Server applications. This uniform format promotes seamless integration between the Data Archiving application and the rest of the MEDITECH HCIS.

Industry-Standard Conventions
The application employs industry-standard technology to archive reports. When reports are archived, they are transferred via the MEDITECH Outbox to a Microsoft Windows NT-based archive server. These reports are stored according to the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) pathname on the user’s choice of archival medium. By using the UNC pathname:
• Archived pathnames are indexed in a manner that facilitates report retrieval
• The archival medium is transparent to the user
• Users can choose the particular type of storage (magnetic, optical disk, or tape).

Automatic Archiving
Users can determine when data is to be archived automatically by setting routines and parameters. For most applications, automatic archiving is initiated by a Midnight Run, a background operation that takes place during periods when the network is under-utilized. These periods are user-defined. For example, in the MEDITECH Laboratory application, a patient’s lab specimen report can be purged automatically after a specified number of days (the number of days is determined by the organization/authorized user).

Manual Archiving
Certain applications may require more control over when to archive and which files to archive. For those applications, Data Archiving provides a Manual Archiving option. In these circumstances, users simply select the file or files to be archived, then click on the Archive button in the Windows dialogue box.

For example, users of MEDITECH’s financial applications may retain data from quarterly reports within their original applications to make that data readily available for the preparation of annual reports. Once the annual report is completed, an authorized user selects the quarterly reports within the application index and clicks the Archive button to begin the archiving process.

Security
The application addresses security issues by limiting who can determine when and what files will be archived. For Automatic Archiving, this determination can only be made by those users authorized to define routines and parameters. Similarly, Manual Archiving is performed only by authorized users.

Authorization for archiving is established in the Access to Create Archived Documents prompt in the User Dictionary’s Administrative/Clinical screen. Those users authorized to perform archiving will see the Archive button on their screens.

Retrieving Archived Reports
Once archived, documents are available to authorized users for review. Indices of the reports within the archive show:
• Original application date
• Document title
• Date of visit (if applicable)
• Comment field for a report title or a description of the report.

Since only a print image of the archived report is stored, the data contained within it can neither be altered nor used to re-create data from the original application. Users either print or download archived documents which, when viewed, look the same as they appeared in the original application.

Purging
The application protects against lost data by preventing the purging of reports until the system verifies they are safely stored in the archive medium. Once the data is archived, responsibility for maintaining and providing access to reports belongs to the archive server. Data Archiving does not, on its own, purge files for other applications. Each application retains its own timetables and background jobs for archiving and purging its data. The process includes:
• Archiving and purging are done in two distinct steps
• During the archiving process, data cannot be modified
• If a problem occurs during archiving, users run a routine to restore the data to a live state, making it available for the next purge run
• As data is archived, the system creates an index that lists the archive date (and, optionally, the batch/run) and the system uses this index to determine what data needs to be purged
• A parameter determines the number of days after archiving that purging can occur
• If possible, archiving and purging are done automatically (on a daily basis), allowing database file sizes to be maintained at a stable level

Once a successful archive is achieved, a message is sent back to the Outbox. Each application then performs a purge of the information in its Outbox according to the parameters set by the user.

Distributed File Service
MEDITECH recommends using Microsoft DFS (Distributed File Service), a Microsoft sharename redirector service. As a redirector, DFS:
• Adds a level of redirection between clients and an archive server
• Maps a set of logical sharenames that point to different physical servers
• Enables the MEDITECH HCIS to use a single set of path-names to permanently reference all archived reports
• Allows the transparent movement of archived data to different servers as needed to meet storage and performance demands.

For more information about us, contact a MEDITECH Marketing Representative

MEDITECH
Medical Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com