Data can be archived from the WinSPC database.  Some possible uses are to keep historical records; to keep data in an organized manageable format; reduce the overall size; or to improve database performance.  Regardless of the reason, this procedure details the method for archiving data in WinSPC version 8.x (or older). (For instructions on archiving data in WinSPC version 9+, please refer to the WinSPC Help system)

1. In the Administrator window of WinSPC, select File -> Archive… to bring up the Archive Book Selector.  An archive book is a set of rules or specifications of the data to be archived.
2. Click the New Archive button to create a new archive icon and name as desired.
3. Select the newly created archive book and click the Edit button to bring up the Archive Query Builder.
4. In the Destination Database box click the Browse button and select a folder location to create the archive database then click the OK button.  
5. To have the data remove from the WinSPC database then check the Delete Data checkbox.  If you do not want the data deleted from WinSPC database then leave the Delete Data checkbox unchecked.
6. Select the items for which you want to archive the data from. This can be for Part/Processes, parts, variables, attributes, short run processes, and/or folders.  To do this:
   • Expand the Parts/Processes branch and the items within it until a part, variable or attribute for which you want to archive data is displayed in the middle right pane.
   • Drag and drop the item(s) from the middle right pane to the Item Name pane below.
   • Repeat the above two steps as desired for other items within Parts/Processes.
   • Repeat the above three steps as desired for Short Run Processes items.  
7. Define an archive date range for each item specified in the  preceding step. To do this:
   • Double-click the first item in the Item Name pane to open up the Archive Book Item Settings.
   • Under Date Range select the type of date range you would like to use and supply the specifics that define your range if applicable. Click the OK button.
   • Repeat the above steps for remaining items in the Item Name pane.
8. To save the Archive Book click the OK button in the Archive Query Builder.  If an archive book of the same name already exists in the location specified in step 4, a warning message appears stating: "Archive already exists. Do you wish to overwrite it?" Click Overwrite button to overwrite the file or the Append button if you wish to append the new archive data to the existing archive book.
9. To start the archive, select the desired archive book and click the Archive button.

Note : Archived data can both be queried and reported on, by selecting Archive as the Source Database option in the Query Builder or Report Builder and specifying the location of the archived database.

If you have archived (and deleted) a lot of data, you may consider performing any standard database maintenance procedures on the database to maintain maximum performance.  This could include actions such as running the WinSPC DBSweep utility, re-indexing the WinSPC database, or shrinking database transaction log files.