Backup policy XML schema reference

This section provides an overview of the backup policy's XML schema and describes the XML elements that you can edit.

Backup policy XML schema

The following XML schema identifies the general structure of a backup policy file. For information about a particular XML element, such as its corresponding policy UI element, description, and possible values, see its linked entry in Backup policy XML element descriptions.

<BackupPolicy policyType="BACKUP">    
  <status>UNKNOWN</status>    
  <name>PolicyName</name>
  <description>PolicyDescription</description>  
  <appliedTo/>
  <appliedToType>UNKNOWN</appliedToType>
  <rules>  
    ---- Zero or more rules -----------------------------------------
    <rules ruleType="BACKUP">
      <fileName>RuleFileName</fileName>  --Custom rule only--
      <folderPath>RuleFolderPath</folderPath>  --Custom rule only--
      <backupAction>RuleBackupAction</backupAction>
      <fileGroupList>  --Predefined file groups only--
	   <fileGroupList> 
            <fileName>RuleFileName</fileName>
	     <folderPath>RuleFolderPath</folderPath>
	     <newerAvailable>NewFileGroupAvailable</newerAvailable>
	     <commonlyIncluded>TypicallyIncluded</commonlyIncluded>
	     <commonlyExcluded>TypicallyExcluded</commonlyExcluded>
	     <fileGroup>RuleInternalName</fileGroup>
	     <name>RuleDisplayName</name>
	     <platform>RulePlatform</platform>
	     <fileExtList>
	       <fileExtList>RuleFileExtension</fileExtList>
	     </fileExtList>   
         </fileGroupList>
	</fileGroupList>
	<customFileGroupName>CustomRuleName</customFileGroupName> --Custom rule only--
       <locked>RuleLock</locked>
       <seqNum>RuleSequenceNumber</seqNum>
       <fileExtList>  --Custom rule only: zero or more extensions--  
         <fileExtList>RuleFileExtension</fileExtList>
       </fileExtList>   
       <platform>RulePlatform</platform>	
    </rules>
    --------------------------------------------------------------
  </rules>
  <backupOverMetered>MeteredBackupRule</backupOverMetered>
  <enabledSmartScan>SmartScanRule</enabledSmartScan>
  <enabledDownload>DownloadRule</enabledDownload>
  <enabledPreview>PreviewRule</enabledPreview>
  <enabledRetainExcludedFiles>ExcludedFilesRule</enabledRetainExcludedFiles>
  <enabledUserStateBackup>UserStateBackupRule</enabledUserStateBackup>
  <skipDrivesWindows>  --Zero or more skipped drives--
    <skipDrivesWindows>SkippedDriveRule</skipDrivesWindows>  
  </skipDrivesWindows>
  <skipVolumesMac>  --Zero or more skipped volumes--
    <skipVolumesMac>SkippedVolumeRule</skipVolumesMac>  
  </skipVolumesMac>
  <uploadThreadConcurrency>ExpressBackupRule</uploadThreadConcurrency>	
</BackupPolicy>

Backup policy XML element descriptions

The following table provides information about the XML elements in an exported backup policy file.

XML element Can edit? Policy UI element Description Value

appliedTo

No

Apply to group name

For a policy that applies at the group level, the name of the group to which it applies.

None

NOTE: Connected removes any corporate or group policy assignments that exist before export or are added before import to prevent duplicate assignment after import.

appliedToType

No

Apply to list item

 Entity on which to apply the policy.

None

NOTE: Connected removes any corporate or group policy assignments that exist before export or are added before import to prevent duplicate assignment after import.

backupAction

Yes

Include The Following / Exclude The Following

Whether Agents include or exclude the rule's content from backup.

One of the following:

  • INCLUDE

  • EXCLUDE

backupOverMetered

Yes

Allow backups over a metered connection

Whether Agents can back up over a metered network connection.

One of the following: 

  • true

  • false (Default)

commonlyIncluded

No — For internal use by predefined file group rules. Do not modify.

commonlyExcluded

No — For internal use by predefined file group rules. Do not modify.

customFileGroupName

 Yes Custom rule: Rule Name Descriptive name of the custom backup rule.

Optional: String with 50 characters maximum.

description

Yes

Description

Description of policy.

Optional: String with 255 characters.

enabledDownload

Yes

Allow users to download files from their backup sets

Whether users can download files from their backup sets using the Connected web apps.

One of the following:

  • true

  • false

enabledPreview

Yes

Allow users to view files in their backup sets

Whether users can view files from their backup sets using the Connected web apps.

One of the following:

  • true

  • false

enabledRetainExcludedFiles

Yes

Retain files excluded by policy

Whether Connected retains protected files that are no longer in scope for backup based on policy changes or user exclusion.

If not enabled, Connected permanently deletes its copy of files excluded from backup after a short grace period.

One of the following:

  • true

  • false

enabledSmartScan

Yes

Enable SMART SCAN technology

Whether to enable Smart Scan technology.

When enabled, Agents skip a predefined set of system-level folders during scans and prevents users from selecting files in those folders for backup. For more information, see Optimize system scans with scope settings.

One of the following:

  • true

  • false

enabledUserStateBackup

Yes

Back up Windows User State Files (.mig)

Whether Windows-based Agents 4.9.0, or later, back up all user state files (.mig) files except those excluded by drive or Smart Scan, regardless of any admin or user rules that exclude them.

If enabled, when users start a restore request that contains a .mig file, they can opt to import the file when the restore completes (requires Microsoft's User State Migration Tool installed on their computer).

One of the following

  • true

  • false

fileExtList

Yes Custom rule: File extensions Extension to which the rule applies.

Optional. Case-insensitive string, as follows:

  • To match files with a specific extension, specify the extension without a preceding dot (.)

    For example, specify txt not .txt

  • To match files without an extension, specify a dot (.)

    For example, . matches report but not report.txt

  • To match files with any extension, specify the wildcard *

  • To match multiple file extensions, specify them individually

    For example:

    <fileExtList>PNG</fileExtList>
<fileExtList>JPG</fileExtList>

For more tips on how to use wildcard characters, registry keys, and environment variables, see Tips for creating custom backup policy rules.

fileGroup

No — Internal name that identifies the predefined file group.

Do not edit.

fileGroupList

Removal only —

Predefined file group declaration, which contains the group's display name (such as 'Video Files'), and the file names, folders, and extensions the rule governs.

To remove a predefined rule group from the policy, delete its corresponding <fileGroupList> element.

On import, Connected ignores new or modifies <fileGroupList> elements.

 

fileName

 Yes

Custom rule: File name

Name of the file, without its file extension, to which the rule applies.

For example, to match the file report.txt, specify report.

Optional. Case-insensitive string. Wildcards supported.

For tips on how to use wildcard characters, registry keys, and environment variables, see Tips for creating custom backup policy rules.

 

folderPath

Yes

Custom rule: Folder path

Name of the folder to which the rule applies.

Specify the path and folder name followed by a platform-specific slash. For example:

folderName\ (Windows)

folderName/ (macOS)

Optional. Case-insensitive string. Wildcards supported.

For tips on how to use wildcard characters, registry keys, and environment variables or how to define recursive folder paths, see Tips for creating custom backup policy rules.

locked

Yes

Lock this rule group

Whether to lock the rule group.

Lock a group to prevent either lower-level or user-created rules from overriding it.

One of the following:

  • true

  • false

name (child of <BackupPolicy>)

 Yes Policy Name Name of the backup policy. String with 50 characters maximum.
name (child of <fileGroupList>) No Selectable predefined file sets, such as Video files, Windows user's Documents folder, Compressed files, and so on Display name of a predefined file group. Do not edit.

newerAvailable

No — For internal use by predefined file group rules. Do not modify.

platform

Yes Custom rule: Platform Platform to which the rule applies.

If folderPath, fileName, or fileExtList are specified, one of the following:

  • WINDOWS

  • MAC

  • ALL (both)

policyType

No —

ID of policy type for internal use.

Do not edit.

ruleType

No — Policy rule type for internal use.

Do not edit.

seqNum

Yes Rules are displayed in highest-to-lowest priority, based on their seqNum value Rule's sequence number, which determines its priority within the policy. The rule with SeqNum=1 has the highest priority.

Positive integer.

To ensure Connected prioritizes rules correctly, make sure the policy does not contain duplicate sequence numbers.

status

No —

Rule status.

 Do not edit.

skipDrivesWindows

Yes

Drives to skip for Windows

List of drives to skip during scans on Windows platforms. If empty, all drives are scanned.

Optional. String of comma-separated case-insensitive drive names. For example: D:,E:

skipVolumesMac

Yes

Volumes to skip for macOS

List of volumes to skip during scans on macOS platforms. If empty, all volumes are scanned.

Optional. String of comma-separated case-insensitive volume names. For example: Macintosh HD,My Mac

uploadThreadConcurrency

Yes

Enable Express Backup

Whether the Agent expedites backups by backing up multiple files simultaneously.

When using express backups, Agents and the Connected server use more system and network resources. Therefore, this feature is best suited in environments with wired LAN connections.

One of the following:

  • EXPRESS

  • STANDARD