The default PaperCut NG installation stores data in an internal database. For the interested person, the database is Apache Derby - an open source database written by IBM and based on their DB2 Cloudscape Database. The internal database is optimized for embedded use, is very robust, ACID compliant and scales well. The internal database however is not designed for multi-application access. To access the data from an exteral source such as a reporting program, you'll need to consider running PaperCut NG on an external database (RDMS) designed for multi-user and multi-applicaiton user access. Common database solutions include Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL. For more information see Chapter 19, Deployment on an External Database (RDBMS).
The PaperCut NG data structure is relatively simple and people with Crystal Reports, MS Access or SQL experience should have no problems extracting data or written custom reports. Report developers should keep in mind:
Only access the data in a read-only mode. Modifying data directly underneath the application may cause unpredictable behavior.
Always test any custom reports after an upgrade as the underlying data format may have changed. PaperCut Software developers try to minimize data structure changes but they are expected to occur in major upgrades.
A database schema diagram can be found in the PaperCut NG knowledge base located at Database Schema Diagrams.
In addition to storing print log information in the database, a real-time, plain text log is also written into the directory:
[app-path]/server/logs/print-logs
The log file is in a tab delimited format and a new log is created for each day. Files are named with
the format printlog_yyyy_mm_dd.log and files are archived for 30-days. The tab
delimited file can easily be imported into programs such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access or
other database.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
Field 1 |
Date in format |
Field 2 | Server Name |
Field 3 | Printer Name |
Field 4 | User who printed the document |
Field 5 | Account charged (usually the user's personal account but could be a shared account) |
Field 6 | Client/Workstation Name |
Field 7 | Document name |
Field 8 | Total number of pages |
Field 9 | Total number of color pages |
Field 10 | Number of copies (this has already been used to calculate the total pages). |
Field 11 | Cost |
Field 12 | Duplex status |
Field 13 | Grayscale status (Color mode) |
Field 14 | Paper Size (e.g. Letter, A4) |
Field 15 | Paper Height in Millimetres (divide by 24.5 for inches) |
Field 16 | Paper Width in Millimetres (divide by 24.5 for inches) |
Field 17 | Print job size in KB |
Field 18 | Printer Language |
Field 19 | Cost Adjustments (comma separated) |
Field 21 | Job Type (PRINT/COPY) |
Table 16.5. Text print log file format
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