By default, Internal Audit stores attachments inside its database.

This is usually the best configuration because files are under better control.  They are subject to the permissions and workflow of the application:

• Files can be accessed only by Internal Audit users who have the correct permissions
• The software can ensure that files are not changed after sign-off

It is possible to switch Internal Audit so that it saves files into a local or network folder rather than within the database, however there is no tool for migrating the files.  This means that if your implementation requires that an external file store is used, this must be decided and configured at the time of implementation, before files are attached.  If the configuration change is made post-implementation then file links will appear within the Internal Audit screens but when clicked they will not be available.

References and useful links

Switching to a drive- or share-based file store

Assessing the volume of deleted files and purging the FileStore