Lotus Notes Archiving

There are two types of Lotus Notes archives. How do you know which one is right for you? This article gives a simple step-by-step guide and explains the differences in Notes and Domino archiving

How to archive in Lotus Notes

Here are the two approaches to creating a Lotus Notes archive:

  • Option 1: Use the standard archiving feature that comes with HCL Lotus Notes to archive your data in the NSF format (standard archive).
  • Option 2: Export your data outside of HCL Lotus Notes into open formats such as PDF/HTML and XML/JSON/CSV, by using specialized archiving tools for Lotus Notes (stand-alone archive).

Regardless of the method, you can archive either Lotus Notes emails or applications.

Option 1: Creating a standard Lotus Notes archive

Option 2: Creating a stand-alone archive from Lotus Notes data

Pros and cons of the two approaches

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches? The first thing you should think about is whether you will restore your Lotus Notes data from the archive. If you want to use the archive as a copy of your current data, which you can use for Lotus Notes data recovery if needed, then you should certainly archive to Notes/Domino NSF. In that case, your archive is actually a backup for data recovery, not long-term retention.

On the other hand, if you are creating archives from Lotus Notes data for long-term retention, we recommend creating a standalone archive (download). This allows you to create a collection of historical business records for future reference. The archived files are completely decoupled from the original platform and suitable for long-term data retention.

Do you have a specific Notes data archiving project you would like to discuss with us? Please send us your thoughts, comments or questions. Download the Seascape for Notes Product Datasheet to learn more.

Questions? We have answers.

Speak with our specialists to learn more about best practices in Lotus Notes Domino archiving and migration projects