Storing Attachments on a File System

Storing attachments on a file system enables you to manage disk space rather than database server table space. This option provides the best performance and is recommended for systems using a single Web server.

You can store attachments in a directory on a server other than the SBM Application Engine Web Server as long as you set correct network permissions for that directory, and then specify an SBM login ID and password for a user who can access that directory.

If you select the Store Attachments on the File System option when connected to the SBM System Administrator using an ODBC connection, files are stored in the default location on the machine you are using or in the location specified in the Path box.

Note: If you select the Store attachments on the file system option after you have stored files in the database, duplicate files that may exist on the file system are overwritten by files with the same name from the database.

To store attachments on the file system:

If you intend to store files on a server other than the Web server, ensure you have a directory with appropriate permissions set up on an accessible network location.
From the Options menu, select Settings or click the Settings icon on the toolbar.
Select the Attachments tab. By default, the Store attachments on the file system option is selected and the attachments directory on the SBM Application Engine Web Server is the provided path.
To store attachments in a location other than the SBM Application Engine Web Server machine, click the Browse button and navigate to the location. After you click OK on the Choose Directory dialog box, the location is added to the Path box.
In the User box, type the name of the user account that has permissions to change and read files in the directory. Since the SBM Application Engine Web Server does not have permission to access shared network drives, SBM uses this account to access the shared attachments directory.
In the Password box, type the password for the user account.
Note: If the attachment directory is on the same machine as the server, the User and Password text boxes should remain empty.
If you anticipate that a large number of file attachments will be added to items, you may enhance your system's performance by storing the files in sub-folders rather than in a single folder. Select one of the following options for storing files attachments added to SBM items:
- All files -in "Path" folder – Select this option to store all file attachments in the directory specified in the Path box.
- In sub-folders by year (.\yyyy) – Select this option to store file attachments in folders organized by year under the directory specified in the Path box. SBM creates sub-folders each year as attachments are added based on the server date and time.
- In sub-folders by year/month (.\yyyymm) - Select this option to store file attachments in folders organized by each month of the year under the directory specified in the Path box. SBM creates sub-folders each month as attachments are added based on the server date and time.
In the Maximum File Size box, specify the maximum file size in megabytes (MBs) allowable for file attachments added to items. Users are informed of the maximum size allowed when they attach an item larger than the specified limit. The default size limit and maximum size limit is 500 MBs.
Click OK.