# Log Management Procedure

This article describes the procedure for managing log data in the OvalEdge database. It covers two scenarios:

* Retaining only the last two months of logs without keeping a full backup.
* Creating a full backup of logs while reducing the active table to the last two months of records.

The procedure ensures optimal database performance, reduces storage usage, and supports compliance with log retention policies.

### Prerequisites

**System Access**

* Root or sudo privileges on the database server
* SQL access to the MySQL database

**Application Status**

* Stop the Tomcat server to prevent log writes during the operation

**Disk Space**

* Verify sufficient storage is available for creating backup tables

**Database Configuration**

* Confirm InnoDB buffer pool size is adequate for large operations
* Increase temporarily if needed

**Retention Requirement**

* Identify the customer’s log retention policy (default: 2 months)

## Case 1: Retain Only the Last 2 Months (No Full Backup Required)

### **Stop the Tomcat Server**

* Ensure the application is not writing new logs during database operations

### **Create a Temporary Backup**

* Create a backup table with the last two months of logs:

  ```sql
  CREATE TABLE log_backup_14062024 AS
  SELECT * FROM log WHERE logdate >= '2024-05-14';
  ```

  * `2024-05-14` = two months before current date
  * Naming convention: `log_backup_currentdate` (e.g., `log_backup_14062024`)

**Handle Buffer Size Errors (if any)**

* If memory/buffer errors occur, increase the InnoDB buffer pool size:

  ```sql
  SET GLOBAL innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1073741824; -- 1 GB  
  SET GLOBAL innodb_buffer_pool_size = 4294967296; -- 4 GB
  ```

  > Note: Changes apply only to the current session unless configured permanently.

### **Verify Record Counts**

* Check that the last 2 months of records in the original log table match the records in the log\_backup table.

  ```sql
  SELECT COUNT(*) FROM log WHERE logdate >= '2024-05-14';  
  SELECT COUNT(*) FROM log_backup_14062024;
  ```

  * Both counts should match to confirm that the backup table contains the correct subset of data.

### **Truncate the Original Log Table**

This will remove all records from the log table

```sql
TRUNCATE TABLE log;
```

### **Reinsert Data**

Populate the log table with only the last two months of recent data.

```sql
INSERT INTO log SELECT * FROM log_backup_14062024;
```

### **Analyze the Log Table**

Update the database statistics for the log table to optimize query performance.

```sql
ANALYZE TABLE log;
```

### **Refresh and Validate**

* Use the database management tool or run the following query to confirm the reduced size of the log table:

  ```sql
  SELECT COUNT(*) FROM log;
  ```

### **Restart Tomcat**

* Start the Tomcat server and confirm in the OvalEdge job logs that only the last 2 months of logs are visible

### **Set Audit Archival Policy in OvalEdge**

Open the OvalEdge application and check the job logs to ensure only the last 2 months of logs are visible.

* Go to *Administration → System Settings → Audit Data Archival*
* Click *Add Archival Policy*
* Select *logs*, set retention = 60 days
* Choose archival format (CSV or SQL)

#### Case 2: Create Full Backup and Retain Last 2 Months

### **Stop the Tomcat Server**

* Ensure the application is not writing new logs

### **Create a Full Backup Table**

```sql
CREATE TABLE log_backup_14062024 AS
SELECT * FROM log WHERE logdate <= '2024-06-14';
```

* `2024-06-14` = current date
* Naming convention: `log_backup_currentdate`

**Handle Buffer Size Errors**

* Use the same buffer pool adjustment steps as in Case 1

### **Verify Record Counts**

Check that the total number of records in the original log table matches the records in the log\_backup table.

```sql
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM log;  
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM log_backup_14062024;
```

* Both counts should match to confirm the backup table contains all data.

### **Truncate the Original Log Table**

Remove all records from the log table.

```sql
TRUNCATE TABLE log;
```

### **Reinsert Data**

Insert only the last two months of records back into the log table from the backup while keeping the full log\_backup\_14062024 table for archival.

```sql
INSERT INTO log 
SELECT * FROM log_backup_14062024 
WHERE logdate >= '2024-05-14';
```

{% hint style="info" %}
The condition logdate >= '2024-05-14' ensures only records from the last two months (from June 14, 2024) are restored.
{% endhint %}

### **Analyze the Log Table**

Update the database statistics to optimize query performance.

```sql
ANALYZE TABLE log;
```

### **Refresh and Validate**

Check the table size using a database management tool or run:

```sql
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM log;
```

### **Restart Tomcat**

* Start Tomcat service

### **Verify Job Logs in OvalEdge**

* Confirm job logs display only for last 2 months

### **Set Audit Archival Policy in OvalEdge**

* Go to *Administration → System Settings → Audit Data Archival*
* Click *Add Archival Policy*
* Select *logs*, set retention = 60 days
* Choose archival format (CSV or SQL)

***

Copyright © 2025, OvalEdge LLC, Peachtree Corners, GA, USA.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.ovaledge.com/deployment-and-maintenance/migration/log-management-procedure.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.