How SysCloud applies Box folder-level backup rules?*

Overview

SysCloud uses the uploaded sheet to decide which Box users and folders should be included or excluded from backup. Folder-level backup gives admins more control over Box backup scope while continuing to use the existing backup workflow.

How uploaded sheets are applied

Uploaded sheets are applied based on the backup job state:

Uploaded sheets are merged only with the saved folder configuration of a backup job that has already started.
New users or folders are added.
Matching user-folder rules are updated.
Rules not listed in the uploaded sheet remain unchanged.
If the backup job has not started yet, a new upload replaces the earlier pending upload.

How SysCloud identifies folders

SysCloud uses the Box folder ID from the Folder URL as the source of truth for backup. Folder name is used only for reference.

If a selected folder is renamed in Box, backup continues because SysCloud tracks the folder ID, not the folder name. The folder name shown in Archives may reflect the name captured at the time of backup.

How include and exclude rules are applied?

SysCloud supports the following folder rules:

Rule	How SysCloud applies it
Include folder and sub-folder	Backs up the selected folder and everything inside it.
Include folder only	Backs up only the files directly inside the selected folder. Subfolders are not backed up unless added separately.
Exclude folder and sub-folder	Does not back up the selected folder or anything inside it.

How edge cases are handled?

Edge case	Example	How SysCloud handles it
Same folder has conflicting rules in the sheet	The same Box folder URL is listed once as included and once as excluded.	SysCloud shows an error during sheet upload. The conflicting rule must be corrected before it can be applied.
Same user has both entire-user and specific-folder rules	Bruce has one row for entire-user backup and another row with a selected-folder rule.	SysCloud shows an error during sheet upload. A user should not have conflicting backup scope rules in the same sheet.
Parent folder is included and descendant folder is excluded	Product Management is included, and Marketing inside it is excluded.	SysCloud backs up Product Management, but does not back up Marketing or anything inside it.
Parent folder is included, child folder is excluded, and a folder inside the excluded child is included again	Product Management is included, Marketing inside it is excluded, and Campaigns inside Marketing is included again.	SysCloud follows the configured include/exclude rules for the selected folders.
Same folder is selected under multiple users with different rules	Jack has Marketing as included, while Jake has the same Marketing folder as excluded.	SysCloud shows an error during sheet upload. The same folder should not have different rules across users.
Included folder is later moved under an excluded folder	Product Management is included. Later, it is moved inside an excluded folder in Box.	SysCloud does not silently drop the folder from backup. SysCloud continues backing it up for now and logs the conflict in audit logs.
Same shared folder is in scope for multiple users	The same shared folder is accessible to multiple selected users.	SysCloud backs up the folder only once. The folder may still appear under each relevant user.

^*Available for selected customers