How to Archive Old Data Effectively

This step-by-step guide outlines how to effectively archive old data by categorizing files, cleaning up and organizing them, and migrating them to secure storage locations like OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint. It emphasizes compliance, efficiency, and long-term accessibility while discouraging the use of third-party cloud services.

Step-by-Step Guide for Archiving Old Data Effectively

Contents

1. Understanding Data Archiving
2. Identify Data for Archiving
3. Prepare Data for Archiving
4. Choose an Archiving Location
5. Move Data to the Archiving Location
6. Maintain and Access Archived Data
7. Best Practices for Archived Data

 

Understanding Data Archiving

Archiving old data helps free up storage, maintain compliance, and improve organization. This guide is designed for users transitioning from network drives (Z:, Y:, I:), local files, external hard drives, and third-party cloud solutions like Dropbox.

 

Identify Data for Archiving

Categorize Your Data

1. Active Data – Frequently accessed files (these should be kept in OneDrive or Teams).
2. Reference Data – Occasionally used files (Can be archived or kept in SharePoint).
3. Archived Data – Old files needed for compliance/historical reasons (these should be stored in a dedicated SharePoint Archive Site).
4. Redundant/Obsolete Data – No longer needed files (these should be deleted).

Use the Decision Framework

• Is the file still needed for daily work?
  • Yes → Keep in OneDrive or Teams.
  • No → Move to an archive folder or delete.
• Does it have legal, compliance, or historical value?
  • Yes → Archive in SharePoint under designated retention policies.
  • No → Delete if no longer useful.
• Is the file duplicated elsewhere?
  • Yes → Remove redundant copies.
  • No → Store in an appropriate location.

 

Prepare Data for Archiving

Clean Up and Organize Files

1. Remove duplicates – Delete unnecessary copies.
2. Rename files properly – Use standardized naming conventions.
3. Sort by date – Identify older files that need to be archived.
4. Group by category – Organize files by project, department, or purpose.

Convert Files to Efficient Formats

1. Convert outdated file formats into widely supported versions (e.g., .doc to .docx, .xls to .xlsx).
   • Note: Save As should give you the ability to update the file format.
2. Compress large files before archiving (e.g., using ZIP files for bulk storage).

 

Choose an Archiving Location

Use SharePoint for Departmental Archiving

• Best for storing historical department files, compliance documents, and team-wide archives.
• Enables structured access control and searchability.

Use OneDrive for Personal Archives

• Ideal for storing personal files that may need retrieval later.
• Not recommended for shared departmental archives.
• Ensure proper folder organization for easy retrieval.

Avoid Third-Party Cloud Storage (Dropbox, Box, etc.)

• Mines encourages storing files in Microsoft 365 solutions for security and compliance.
• Migrate files from third-party services to OneDrive or SharePoint.

 

Move Data to the Archive Location

Archiving in SharePoint

1. Navigate to the designated SharePoint Archive Site.
2. Click Upload and select the files/folders for archiving.
3. Set permissions to restrict editing but allow read access.
4. Apply metadata tags for easy retrieval.
5. Confirm that files have uploaded successfully before deleting local copies.

Archiving in OneDrive

1. Create a dedicated Archive folder in OneDrive.
2. Move old files into the folder.
3. Set sharing restrictions to prevent unintended edits.
4. Use OneDrive’s versioning feature for historical tracking.

Migrating from Third-Party Cloud Storage

1. Download files from Dropbox, Google Drive, or other services.
2. Organize files locally before transferring to SharePoint or OneDrive.
3. Upload files to the designated archive folder.
4. Verify file integrity before deleting from the original source.

 

Maintain and Access Archived Data

Set Retention & Deletion Policies

1. Establish retention periods for different file types.
2. Set expiration dates for non-critical archived files.
3. Automate deletion of obsolete records after the retention period ends.

Search & Retrieve Archived Files

1. Use SharePoint’s Search & Filter features to locate old files quickly.
2. In OneDrive, navigate to the Archive folder and use the search bar.
3. If files were compressed, extract ZIP files as needed.

 

Best Practices for Archiving Old Data

Regularly Audit and Clean Up Archives

• Schedule an annual review to delete unnecessary files.
• Verify access permissions to ensure security.

Use Consistent Naming Conventions

• Include dates, project names, or department codes in file names.
• Example: Finance_AnnualBudget_2023.pdf or HR_Policies_Archived_2022.docx.

Backup Archives for Redundancy

• Maintain a secondary backup for critical historical files.
• Ensure backups are stored securely in case of primary storage failure.

Avoid Over-Archiving

• Only store files that have clear long-term value.
• Regularly delete obsolete and redundant data.

Additional Resources

• Why Are We Moving to the Cloud? Transitioning to Cloud Storage at Mines
• How to Review & Organize Your Files Before Migration
• Best Practices for Organizing Departmental Content
• How to Archive Old Data Effectively
• Understanding File Permissions and Sharing in OneDrive and Teams