You are here: Obtaining Data > File Preparation Guidelines > Request a Copy of the Data

Request a Copy of the Data

If reading data on tape using the Arbutus zSeries Server, request a copy, not a backup, of the original tape file when you create a tape.

Typically, a backup file has a section of header information, followed by blocks of data interspersed with smaller blocks of control information. Unfortunately, the blocks of data usually ignore logical record boundaries and, therefore, make the file unusable for Analyzer input.

The only way you can use a backup file is to first restore the data to a regular file and then make a copy of the file to use with Analyzer.