M-Files Storage

Each vault has its own database. M-Files Server comes with an embedded Firebird database which is the default option and can be used for small to medium sized vaults. The other option is to use Microsoft SQL Server which scales better for large vaults.

The vault configuration, including the metadata structure, as well as the object metadata is stored in this vault database. The file data is stored on disk when Firebird is used. With SQL Server you have the option to either store the file data on disk or in the database.

By default the Firebird database and file data are found in C:\Program Files\M-Files\Server Vaults\<vault name>\

To add a bit, the file data is not directly readable on hard drive, it's name and file extension is changed .bin. Every file contains a small part of metadata, which causes these files not to be readable as-is. These files can also be encrypted as an option in M-Files Admin. 

I didn't quite understand what you meant. Could you please explain a little more? What I really want to ask is where and how are M Files saved when objects are created that do not connect to an external database? I hope I was able to express myself fully. Thank you in advance for your help.

The objects are saved in the M-files Database. It can be a Firebird or SQL database as Joonas explained. Files are generally saved in a special folder on the server's hard drive or on a network drive attached to the same LAN as Timo explained. M-Files can be configured to save files inside the SQL database, but that is not recommended. When you create a new document, the file is saved in Cache on your local computer until you check in the document. At that moment the file is transferred to the server and saved as described above.

Can we change/ define the file storage path? 

Yes, refer to the user guide for the instructions:

• Firebird: Changing the Location of the Vault Data
• SQL Server: Changing the Location of the Vault File Data for Microsoft SQL Server