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Data analysis

Admin , Article , Product Utilization , Established , Instruction , Box Shuttle , P4
This article is about Box Shuttle in the Admin Console. If you’re using legacy Box Shuttle, a standalone tool, see legacy migration guides

Overview

Running an analysis job helps you understand your source data at a more comprehensive level. 

As a result, it is easier to divide a large and complex job into smaller manageable pieces to plan which departments or sections to migrate first, as well as to come up with a reasonable approach to migrate your users and their data. This way, large projects can finish quicker, cost-effectively, with fewer conflicts, and more efficient delta runs.

Analysis jobs are optional. Consider using an analysis job when the source data is not well known, or when you need input from business users about what content you want to take to Box. Running an Analysis may help you understand your source data at a deeper level in order to plan for a successful migration.

The analysis report includes information on data type, size, age, and permissions. The flow includes the following steps:

 

DataAnalysis.png

 

Step Description 
1.  Select the source system.
If you perform data analysis for the first time, this step may require additional source system configuration.
2. Select content you want to analyze.
3. Define the additional filters to include or exclude specific files and folders.
4. Check the data and settings to make sure everything is correct.
5. Run the analysis.

Create new job

To create a new analysis job select Analyze Data from the New Job drop-down menu.

 

Select the source system

Select the source system you want to analyze. If there is no existing source system available or you want to configure a new one, follow the Source system configuration instructions.

Box Shuttle cannot alter or modify your source data.

Select data

Select the data you want to analyze. Shuttle automatically lists the folders and files available for the chosen source system.

Browse through the content or use the search field to look for a specific file or folder.

 

 

Icons on the right inform you about the content that will be analyzed.

Item Level Description
Folder, Account An item in the folder is explicitly included in the analysis. The folder itself will not be analyzed.
Folder Items in the folder are skipped and won’t be analyzed.
Account Certain items in different folders in this account are selected for analysis. 

 

Filter data 

Additional filters allow you to further narrow down the data.

  • Standard Filter  ignores temp and system files, and migrates everything else. This is the recommended setting.
  • Advanced Filter provides more granular filter settings on the basis of regular expression, file extensions, date, or size.

 

Verify data

During the pre-run validation you can see the summary showing the data you chose to analyze or skip, and the job settings. Verify if these are correct before proceeding with the analysis. 

Run analysis

If everything is correct, click the Run Analysis button to start the process. When the analysis is running, use the Stop button to cancel the process or Exit to return to the Job Dashboard without canceling the analysis.

Check the results

You can view the results when the analysis is done, but also when it is still running - to check the progress. Access the results by clicking View Job Report. 

 

The Analysis report presents information about what kind of data there is, how old it is, how much you have and how it is distributed across users and filesystems, and who has access to that data. Analysis report details make it easier to divide a large complicated job into smaller more manageable jobs, and make informed decisions on what to move and what to leave behind. This allows big projects to finish more quickly, cost-effectively, with fewer conflicts, and allowing for more efficient delta runs.

 

The Filters button on the right activates a side panel you can use to display specific results.

 

Item Description
Statistics Displays the job details.
Report Lists paths to the analyzed files and folders.
File System Displays the details of the analyzed account and allows you to drill down to examine specific files and folders.
Exports List Displays the exported reports, if you created any.
Job Log Allows you to examine the analysis step by step.

 

This section also allows you to check the Run History for data from the previous runs and export the data.

Export data

You can export your data in the XLS format. In the Export dialog, select the data you want to include in the report and confirm. When the download is complete, you can save the results as an .xlsx file.



Additionally, you can find all the exported reports under the Exports List and download them from there.

 

Schedule analysis

You can schedule the job to run the job at a given time and re-run them at configurable intervals.

For a Windows source system, the scheduler only runs one job at a time. This ensures that each job has sufficient memory, CPU and other resources to transfer data to Box at optimal speeds.

 

schedule.png

 

For more details on scheduling, see Scheduling jobs.

Re-run analysis

If you already have your job configured, you can analyze the content again using the Run Analysis option in the Jobs Dashboard.

 

 

 

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