# ClusterSnapshot

Allows you to take a snapshot of the IDOL Server data index, or of the profiles stored in the IDOL Server agent index. A snapshot is an internal raw data format that IDOL Category Component uses to extract clusters. Snapshots allow you to generate cluster information and spectrographs.

NOTE: This is an administrative action that can be sent only by users that belong to an authorization role that allows the `Admin` standard role, or which enables the action explicitly. See Authorization Roles Configuration Parameters.

When you send the `ClusterSnapshot` action, it is queued. After it has finished, the snapshot it has produced is timestamped in epoch seconds (the number of seconds since 1 January 1970) and listed in binary .CLS format in the `idol/category/cluster/SNAPSHOTS` directory in your IDOL Category Component installation directory. This process allows you to have several snapshots with the same name (for example, of one particular IDOL Server data index) and snapshots with different names (for example, of different IDOL Server data indexes).

You can restrict snapshots of the IDOL Server data index to:

- IDOL Server query results

- specific IDOL Server databases

- a specific period of time

- multiple snapshots over a period, at specified intervals

NOTE: If you take a snapshot of the IDOL Server data index, the index must ideally contain at least 5,000 documents with good quality content (that is, relevant text for various topics).

You can restrict snapshots of profiles to:

- a specific period of time

- multiple snapshots over a period, at specified intervals

If you send the `ClusterSnapshot` action multiple times, it is likely to result in different snapshots (even if you use the same parameters with the action), because snapshots are based on a random selection of IDOL Server documents. You can change this behavior by setting the RandomSeed parameter in the `[Server]` section of the IDOL Category Component configuration file, which ensures that multiple snapshots of the same data are based on the same sample of IDOL Server documents.

After you take a snapshot, you can use the ClusterCluster action to generate cluster `WhatsHot` or `WhatsNew` information, and to provide the information that you need to generate spectrograph data by using the ClusterSGDataGen action.

## Example

    http://12.3.4.56:9020/action=ClusterSnapshot&TargetJobName=Job1&DREQuery=action%3DQuery%26Text%3Dstock%20market%26MaxResults%3D5000

This action sends a request for a snapshot called `Job1`. The snapshot is restricted to `5000` result documents that contain the term stock market.

## Required Parameters

The following action parameters are required.

Parameter | Description
--- | ---
TargetJobName | The name of the snapshot to generate.

## Optional Parameters

This action accepts the following optional parameters.

Parameter | Description
--- | ---
AndCluster | Whether to generate clusters immediately from the snapshot.
Cluster | If using FocusJobName, the IDs of one or more clusters that you want to re-cluster.
Cycles | The number of times to run the action.
Databases | Restricts the snapshot to one or more databases.
DREQuery | Restricts the snapshot to query results.
EndDays | How many days ago a snapshot period ends.
Gap | The interval between periods when snapshots are taken.
Fields | Fields to add to the snapshot.
FocusJobName | The name of a clustering job that contains one or more clusters that you want to re-cluster.
FocusStrength | If using FocusJobName, how strongly to apply the focusing.
NegativeClusters | If using RefineJobName, one or more existing clusters to bias the new clustering away from.
NegativeTerms | If using RefineJobName, one or more terms to bias the new clustering away from.
NumClusters | The maximum number of clusters to identify.
Params | The names of parameters to use in the `Suggest` actions that IDOL Category Component uses to create seeds for the snapshot.
Period | The number of days that the snapshot spans.
PositiveClusters | If using RefineJobName, one or more existing clusters to bias the new clustering toward.
PositiveTerms | If using RefineJobName, one or more terms to bias the new clustering toward.
Profile | Takes a snapshot of the profiles in the IDOL Server Agent index.
RefineJobName | The name of a clustering job to re-cluster, biasing toward or against certain terms or clusters.
RefineStrength | If using RefineJobName, how strongly or weakly to apply the refinement.
Repeat | The time to elapse between runs of the action.
Retries | The number of times to retry a failed action.
RetryInterval | The number of seconds to wait before retrying a failed action.
SecurityInfo | Sends security details.
SeedBindLevel | A value that specifies how closely bound concepts must be to form a cluster seed.
SeedSize | The size of the document group that forms a seed.
SentientClustering | Whether to automatically derive the appropriate SeedBindLevel and SeedSize.
StartDays | How many days ago a snapshot period starts.
StartTime | The time to run the first action.
StartingSuggestOverrideFactor | The portion of the Data index to use in the snapshot.
SummaryField | The field that contains a result summary.
TimeSpanSnapshot | Whether to take snapshots across a particular period.
Values | The values for the specified Params.
XMLEncoding | Overrides the default XML encoding.

This action accepts the following standard ACI action parameters.

Parameter | Description
--- | ---
ActionID | A string to use to identify an ACI action.
EncryptResponse | Encrypt the output.
FileName | The file to write output to.
ForceTemplateRefresh | Forces the server to load the template from disk.
Output | Writes output to a file.
ResponseFormat | The format of the action output.
Template | The template to use for the action output.
TemplateParamCSVs | A list of variables to use for the specified template.

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