You simply don't know without Robot/SPACE.

When you reorganize a file in IBM i, the operating system locks users out of the file, which could mean no access to an entire application. So, why reorganize files? You do it because deleted records take up extra space if files are never reorganized.

But how do you know how long it will take to reorganize a file? Is it just a guessing game based on past experience? And what do you do when the change management team asks the tough question, "How long will the reorganization take?" Do you shrug your shoulders and suggest, "We'll try it this weekend." Does anyone really like taking the chance that an application might not be available for a long time? Plus, how can you determine which files are the best candidates for reorganization and which file reorganizations offer the greatest potential for savings?

Robot/SPACE has the answer to all these tough disk-space management issues. Its Storage Audit feature provides a file task (REORGFILES) that can execute the file reorganization process and even predict how long it will take (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Storage Audit predicts how long the task will take. (Click images to enlarge.)

Robot/SPACE also can generate a report (see Figure 2) that provides all the information you need about reorganization time, disk space saved, and percentage of deleted records. And you can schedule the report so that you have it on your desk daily or before an important change-management meeting.

Figure 2: Schedule your physical file reorganization report to be available at your convenience.

In addition, the Robot/SPACE Collection Explorer can provide any important member-level information you need to build your reports (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Collection Explorer provides member-level detail.

Tom Huntington is Executive Vice President of Technical Solutions at HelpSystems, and has been with the company for nearly 30 years. He works with business alliances, acquisitions and large customer relationships and ensures that the HelpSystems software works with other major software and hardware vendors worldwide.

Tom often speaks on enterprise scheduling, security, automation topics, IBM i technology, and the HelpSystems products, and hosts technical presentations on a variety of automation topics. He is the author of the HelpSystems IBM i Marketplace Survey and has written articles on automated operations, security, cloud computing, and business intelligence for leading trade journals and newsletters. He was named an IBM Champion in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 for over three decades of advocation and thought leadership on the IBM i platform.

Contact Tom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..