Squirrel Search provides administrators with a simple way to locate files across SharePoint sites and perform on-demand archive and restore operations directly from the Squirrel portal.

This page explains how the Search feature works, how to use it, and what administrators should expect when locating files for archival or rehydration.

The Search feature allows administrators to locate specific files across SharePoint sites and perform on-demand file operations.

This includes the ability to:

• Search for files by SharePoint site.
• Filter files by filename.
• Select a specific file from matching results.
• Archive individual files on demand.
• Restore previously archived files.

Search is designed for targeted, file-level operations such as ad-hoc archiving, validation, investigation, and manual recovery.

To locate a file:

• Enter the SharePoint site name into the SharePoint Site field.
• Begin typing a filename into the File field.
• Matching results will appear automatically in a dropdown list.
• Select the required file from the list.

The results display the file name along with its location, allowing administrators to distinguish between files with similar names.

Once a file is selected, the Selected File Details section is populated.

This view provides key information about the file, including:

• Filename
• File size
• Full SharePoint path
• Last accessed date
• Last modified date

This information allows administrators to verify that the correct file has been selected before performing any action.

Based on the current state of the selected file, Squirrel presents the relevant action:

• Archive (On-Demand)

If the file is active in SharePoint, administrators can immediately initiate an archive operation.

  This allows individual files to be archived without waiting for automated policies to run.

• Restore

If the file has already been archived, administrators can initiate a restore operation.

These actions provide administrators with direct, file-level control for exception handling and operational use cases.

Search results are populated from Squirrel’s indexed file inventory.

Because Squirrel processes SharePoint changes asynchronously:

• Recently created, moved, or modified files may not appear immediately.
• Changes typically become searchable after scheduled processing completes.
• Administrators should allow time for indexing cycles to complete before expecting new content to be searchable.

Search is intended for precise file operations rather than real-time SharePoint browsing.

Common scenarios for using Search include:

• Locating a specific file for immediate archival.
• Performing one-off, on-demand archive operations.
• Finding an archived file for manual restore.
• Verifying file locations and metadata.
• Supporting investigation, audit, or support activities.
• Performing controlled, exception-based file handling.

• Search is designed for targeted file operations and not bulk processing.
• Results depend on Squirrel’s indexing and change processing schedules.
• Actions performed through Search follow the same archive and restore workflows as policy-driven operations.

If you require assistance locating files, validating results, or performing archive or restore operations through Search, contact support@smikar.com.