Specifying the data files to capture

You specify the data files that you want to capture with a data template by setting up the template rules. A rule is a logical statement that identifies a particular group of data files.

The components of a rule are described in Table 6-3.

Table 6-3 Components of a rule
Component
Description
Directory path and file definition, and the corresponding Include or Exclude setting
The directory path and file definition specifies a folder, a group of files, or a particular file. You can include this in the collection, or exclude it from a folder or group of files that was included by an earlier rule.
You can use variables as building blocks to specify part or all of the directory path. For example, to collect files from the C:\Documents and settings\<user name>\My documents folder for each user, you can set the path using the variable $MyDocuments$.
You can use wildcard characters to specify the group of files. For example, you can use * to select all files and subfolders or *.ext to select all files with the specified extension.

Note: You cannot specify more than one file name or extension type in a rule. You need to create a new rule for each.

If you are using relative paths, you may need to specify a partial directory path in each rule. The partial path is appended to the source path that you set up earlier to determine the complete directory path. Do not duplicate any part of the source path in the rule.
You must specify a file definition in each rule. If you want to collect everything in the source path, you need to use the asterisk (*) wildcard character.
Criteria for file selection by date
This component is optional. By default all files specified in the directory path and file definition are selected. You can filter the selected files by creation date, modification date, or date last accessed. You can specify a particular date range to select all files in the range. You can select all files created, modified, or accessed during the previous days or months, by specifying the number of days or months.
For example, you may want to select just the files that have been accessed by the user in the previous three months. Any other files are ignored.
File size restrictions
This component is optional. You can select just the files that are greater than or less than a specified size.
For example, you may want to select all files smaller than 100 KB, and ignore any larger files.
If you want to select files between a minimum and maximum size, you need to set up two rules: the first to include all files less than the maximum size, and the second to exclude all files less than the minimum size.

The rules in a data template are evaluated in the order in which they are listed. This determines which folders and files to collect. You should set up the rules to select files and folders starting from the top level and working downwards. For each level, you need to include the folders and file groups that you want, then exclude those that you don't want.

You can add new rules or modify existing rules at any time.



To specify the data files to capture