Retaining Individual E-mail Messages

Best Practice Definition

Retaining unnecessary messages quickly takes up the storage space on the Exchange server. This can lead to a crash of the server, leading to down time for users. Thus, it is important to apply correct storage practices to these messages. (Exchange is not meant for long term storage of information!)

Best Practice Usage

When you receive a message that you need to save beyond 365 days, you should save the message in your "My Documents" directory on your hard drive (which is backed up to your O: drive daily).  After saving the attachment, delete it from the message or delete the entire message itself.

Steps to save a message:

·         Highlight or Open the attachment and choose "File", "Save As".

·         Select the appropriate directory in My Documents (preferred storage location).

·         Select the File Type RTF format for text only                                                                                                      MSG format to save as message format with attachment 

·         Click OK.

·         Delete the original Message.

Steps to save multiple messages

                       

·         Open explorer session and create folder for messages to be saved in

·         Open outlook

·         Go to the outlook folder (eg Inbox)and select multiple messages to move. You can select non-adjacent messages by holding down the CTRL-key                                        

·         Ensure all messages to move are highlighted.

·         Click and drag to start tool bar – ensure cursor is over explorer session

·         Explorer session will maximise

·         Drop messages into required directory.

·         Check that messages have copied across OK

·         Delete messages from outlook

NOTE:

If your message has the same subject line as an existing one in the destination folder, it WILL OVERWRITE the original message.

When copying multiple messages – all  messages should be highlighted at message level not folder name. Complete folders cannot be copied across by the folder name -  this will create shortcuts to the original message.

Always check that the messages have successfully copied across (and ensure that they are not shortcuts) before deleting them from outlook.                               

           

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Ensuring that the Deleted Items Folder is set to “Empty on Exit”

Best Practice Definition

Until the final implementation of the “Automatically Delete messages in the Deleted Items folder after 2 days” process is implemented, this is a good area to look for wasted storage.

Best Practice Usage

·         Go to Tools, Options.

·         Select the General Tab.

·         Make sure that the check box labeled “Empty Deleted Items folder upon exiting” is checked.

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How will I know when I am reaching the maximum size limitations?

·         Warning messages when total size of mailbox is approaching the maximum allowed.  The message will look like this:

You are exceeding the size limit set on your mailbox by the system administrator.

Ex. 

Your mailbox size limit is 92460 Kbytes

You are currently exceeding this limit by 11453 Kbytes

You may not be able to send new mail until you reduce your mailbox size. To free up space, delete any items that you are no longer using or move them to your Personal Folders.  Items in all of your mailbox folders including the Deleted Items and Sent Items folders count against your size limit.  You must empty the Deleted Items folder after deleting items or the space will not be freed.

·         Rejection message from “system admin” when trying to send a message if the mailbox size exceeds the preset limits.

·         Rejection message from “system admin” if the message is too large.

·         When a user exceeds the Mailbox size limit, they will still be able to receive messages, but will not be able to send new messages until they remove some of the material from their mailbox.