Jobs Folder in Bold BI: Understanding it's Role and Cleanup Guidelines
The /application/app_data/bi/Jobs folder in Bold BI stores temporary files generated by dashboard export operations. Over time, this folder may grow large due to accumulated export outputs.
This article explains why these files are created and how to safely clean them up without affecting dashboards, data sources, or embedded reports.
Understanding the Jobs folder
What creates files in the Jobs folder?
-
The
/application/app_data/bi/Jobsfolder is used exclusively for export operations that run as background jobs in Bold BI. -
Export files can be generated by:
- Scheduled dashboard exports
- Manual exports performed from the Dashboard Viewer UI
- Export requests initiated through embedding or REST APIs
-
Typical file formats stored in this folder include:
- CSV
- Excel (XLSX)
- Image formats (PNG/JPG)
Note:
The presence of these files does not indicate a rogue or unknown process. It confirms that one or more export operations have been executed.
Verify whether dashboard schedules are used
- Before performing cleanup, determine whether dashboard schedules are configured on any site:
- If no dashboard schedules are used, the Jobs folder can be cleaned entirely.
- If dashboard schedules are used, cleanup must be done carefully on a per‑tenant basis to avoid impacting active scheduled exports.
Cleanup scenarios
Scenario 1: Dashboard schedules are not used
- If dashboard schedules are not configured on any site, you can safely remove all files in the Jobs folder.
Steps
- Navigate to:
/application/app_data/bi/Jobs - Delete all files inside the folder or delete the entire Jobs folder.
Impact
-
Deleting the Jobs folder contents will not affect:
- Dashboards or widgets
- Data sources
- Embedded dashboards
- Published dashboards or reports
- Application functionality
-
Only previously generated export output files are removed.
Scenario 2: Dashboard schedules are used (multi‑tenant environments)
- When dashboard schedules are configured, the Jobs folder can contain export files for multiple tenants.
Steps
-
Open the UMS site listing page:
{your_domain}/ums/sites -
Select a site and note its Tenant ID from the site details page.
-
Navigate to the tenant‑specific Jobs directory:
/application/app_data/bi/Jobs/<tenantId> -
Delete only the folders or files associated with unused or inactive tenants.
- This ensures that scheduled exports for active tenants continue to work without interruption.
Recommended maintenance
- The Jobs folder is intended only for temporary export storage and can grow rapidly in production, Docker, or Kubernetes deployments.
- Periodically monitor disk usage for this directory.
- Implement an OS‑level cleanup routine to remove older export files, based on your organization’s retention requirements.
Linux (Deletes export files older than 14 days)
find /application/app_data/bi/Jobs -type f -mtime +14 -delete
Windows (PowerShell)
Get-ChildItem "C:\BoldServices\application\app_data\bi\Jobs" -Recurse -File |
Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-14) } |
Remove-Item -Force
Note: Validate the retention period before applying cleanup in a production environment.
Summary
The /application/app_data/bi/Jobs folder is a normal part of Bold BI’s export infrastructure. CSV, Excel, PDF, or image files stored in this directory are generated by dashboard export jobs. Cleaning up this folder is safe when performed according to whether dashboard schedules are in use, and regular maintenance is recommended to prevent unnecessary disk usage.
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