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AI Data Engine

Investigate unstructured data in AI Data Engine

Contributors netapp-dbagwell

When file-based storage is growing unexpectedly, filter by last-access time, file size, and owner to find which files are consuming capacity. For example, a storage administrator can identify terabytes of VM snapshots that haven't been accessed in over a year and evaluate whether to archive, delete, or retain them.

Before you begin

Find cold or stale files by last-access time

Find files that haven't been accessed within your organization's cold or stale data thresholds by using date-based filters. You define these thresholds, including the timestamp that each one uses, in the data classification settings. Refer to Configure data classification thresholds and access scanning.

Steps
  1. From the AI Data Engine UI, select Investigation.

    The Unstructured tab is selected by default.

  2. Select Add filter, then select Last accessed.

  3. Select a time range that matches your cold data threshold, for example 1+ year.

  4. To focus on the largest consumers, select Add filter again, then select File size, and set a minimum value, for example >1 GiB.

    Applied filters appear as tags below the filter bar. The results table and item count update as you add each filter.

Group results by owner

Grouping by owner helps you understand who holds the most potentially reclaimable data before deciding where to act.

Steps
  1. With filters applied, select the View by dropdown.

  2. Select Owner.

    The results reorganize to show total file count and size per owner. Select any owner row to expand and see their individual files.

Review file details

Confirm that a file matches your intended scope before you take action. Select any file row to open the detail panel.

The detail panel shows the file's system, storage repository, path, size, timestamps, access, file owner, and any applied tags or policies. The Duplicates field shows the number of duplicate copies of the file. Verify the system and owner before archiving or deleting.

Find duplicate files

See how widespread duplicate files are before you decide where to clean up. The Duplicates filter lists every file that has one or more identical copies elsewhere in the catalog.

Steps
  1. From the AI Data Engine UI, select Investigation.

    The Unstructured tab is selected by default.

  2. Select Add filter, then select Duplicates.

    The results table lists the files that have duplicate copies.

  3. To see every copy of a specific file and its location, select the file name, and then select View details next to Duplicates.

To review the copies and clean them up, refer to Investigate and clean up duplicate files.

Act on results or save as a policy

After identifying the files you want to address, select one or more items using the checkboxes in the results table.

To download the filtered results from the Unstructured tab, select Download.