---
title: "How to View and Use Scan Status"
url: "https://dm0bkdes5q7a2ls.productfruits.help/en/article/how-to-view-and-use-scan-status"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-11-06T00:20:15.708Z"
---

# How to View and Use Scan Status

This article contains detailed information on how to view the status of your various scans as well as how to view detailed status and use this information to perform important functions and tasks related to your scans.

## Scan Results versus Scan Status

Do not confuse **scan results** with **scan status**.

Typically you start by viewing the status of a scan and then investigate ("drill-down") the scan's results, if the scan completed successfully,

To view the scan results of a given scan you must go to the "Scan Results" page. You can navigate to the Scan Results page using the following steps:

1.  From the **All Scans** page, locate the scan you want to view.
2.  From the kebab menu, select **View Scan Results**.
3.  1.  Alternatively, you can filter to a subset of matches from the Scan Results page.  
          
        ![All Scans page - View Scan Results](https://docs.spirion.com/Content/Resources/Images/Assets/Scans/Updated%2006.23.24/Scans%201_308x347.jpg)

-   Itemization by location is confirmed by the following:
-   -   Total Match Count listed at the top-right of the screen, next to the **Actions** button.
    -   Clicking this toggles to results itemized by match.
-   The **Location** column has an expansion icon:
-   -   Clicking this icon opens the ULR modal including match data.  
        **Note**: For database Targets, the column name is in the match info tool tip, accessed by clicking the **i** next to a match.
-   The URL of a location-based results table ends in “/scans/results”
-   The URL of a match-based results table ends in “/scans/results-alt”
-   -   As noted above, clicking the "Total Match Count" button lists results itemized by match.
-   There is also a **View Scan Results by Match** option accessible from the **Actions** button.
-   Returning to **Results by Location**:
-   -   From the **Actions** button, select **View Scan Results by Location**.

## Definitions and Use of the Scan Status Column

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/5370ed5e-9719-40ac-b8fa-d3cd89e5c7e5)

These status values provide a quick health check of your scan jobs.

They combine the **execution state** (is it running?) with the **outcome** (did it find anything or fail?).

> **Note**: You can filter the **Status** column by entering the term ("Scanning," "Done," "With Results," "Errors," etc.) in the search field at the top of the page.

Here is the breakdown of what each status value means:

### Active Scan States (In Progress)

#### Scanning

The scan is currently active. Agents are either enumerating the Target (Discovery) or inspecting files (Search). No sensitive data matches have been reported to the console yet.

#### Scanning, With Results

**1\. Breakdown of the Status Components**

-   **Scanning**: The scan job is currently active and underway. Assigned scan Agents are actively connecting to targets, traversing directories, mailboxes, or databases, extracting files, and evaluating content against your search criteria and playbooks. The scan has not yet finished, paused, cancelled, or timed out.
-   **With Results**: As the scan progresses in real time, the engine has already detected sensitive data matches (`LocationsWithMatches > 0`). As Agents find matching items, result payloads are streamed back to the SDP controller and ingested into the database, making preliminary findings visible in SDP.
-   **No Errors**: Up to this point in execution, the scan has run cleanly without encountering non-fatal access issues, unreadable files, locked resources, or connection timeouts.

**2\. Practical Implication & What to Expect**

-   **Interim State:** This is a live operational state. The findings and counts shown in the console or dashboards are provisional and will continue to update until the scan completes. You can begin reviewing these findings on the **Scan Results** page even before the scan finishes.
-   **Final Status Transition:** Once all assigned Agents complete their target lists and submit their final summaries, the status will automatically transition to:
-   -   **“Done, With Results”** — if the remainder of the scan finishes cleanly without errors.
    -   **“Done, With Results, Errors”** — if subsequent files, paths, or endpoints hit permission or access errors before finishing.

* * *

### Completed Scan States (Finished)

#### Done, With Results

-   **Done (Completed):** The scan finished successfully. The scan cycle has finished running across all assigned Agents. All participating Agents processed their scan tasks and submitted their final completion summaries back to the controller. The scan did not hang, abort prematurely, or get cancelled.
-   **With Results**: One or more Agents have identified and reported at least one sensitive data match to the console. You can review these findings on the **Scan Results** page.
-   This is the "standard" successful outcome for a scan where data was expected.

#### Done, With Results, Errors

The scan has finished and found sensitive data, but one or more Agents encountered issues.

**1\. Breakdown of the Status Components**

-   **Done (Completed):** The scan finished successfully. The scan ran through its entire scheduled execution lifecycle. Every participating scan agent processed its assigned targets and returned a final summary message to the controller (or the scan was manually marked complete). The scan was not cancelled (`32`) or aborted due to a fatal failure.
-   **With Results**: Sensitive data matches were identified. At least one target location produced findings matching the search criteria or playbook rules (`LocationsWithMatches > 0`), and those result payloads were successfully ingested into the platform. You can review these findings on the **Scan Results** page.
-   **Errors:** One or more errors occurred during execution. These typically indicate that one or more Agents could not scan everything configured in the target definition.  
    Common examples include:
-   -   **Permissions & Access:** Access denied or insufficient privileges on specific files, folders, mailboxes, or tables.
    -   **Inaccessible Locations / Network Timeouts:** Temporary connectivity issues reaching target network shares, cloud storage endpoints, or databases. Check the **Scan Status** pop-up to see which locations failed.
    -   **Locked or In-Use Files:** Files held open or exclusively locked by operating system processes or active user sessions.
    -   **Unsupported / Corrupted Content:** Files that could not be parsed, unzipped, or decrypted by the agent extraction pipeline.

**2\. Practical Meaning & Real-World Implication**

-   The scan successfully discovered sensitive data in the locations it could inspect, but **the inventory is likely incomplete**.
-   Because errors prevented the scan engine from inspecting certain paths or objects, additional sensitive data may reside in the files or folders that were skipped or inaccessible.

**3\. Recommended Next Steps**

-   **Investigate the Results**: Go to Scans in the SDP Console to review the sensitive data locations and classifications that were successfully discovered.
-   **Review Error Details**: Check the scan execution details and agent logs to identify which specific paths, files, or endpoints encountered errors.
-   **Remediate and Re-Scan**: Resolve credential/permission gaps, unlocked file locks, or connectivity issues on the affected locations. **Run an incremental (DIFF) scan** or re-scan the target to ensure the skipped locations are thoroughly inspected.

#### Done, No Results

-   **Done (Completed):** The scan finished successfully. The scan cycle has finished running across all assigned Agents. All participating Agents processed their scan tasks and submitted their final completion summaries back to the controller. The scan did not hang, abort prematurely, or get cancelled.
-   **No Results:** Across all items and locations that *were* successfully inspected, zero sensitive data matches or playbook findings were discovered (`LocationsWithMatches = 0`).
-   **Operational Tip**: If you expected to find data, verify that your Scan Playbook is correctly configured and that the Agent has the necessary permissions to read the file contents.

#### Done, No Results, Errors

The composite scan status **“Done, Errors, No Results”** represents three concurrent outcomes recorded for the scan job:

**1\. Breakdown of the Status Components**

-   **Done (Completed):** The scan cycle has finished running across all assigned Agents. All participating Agents processed their scan tasks and submitted their final completion summaries back to the controller. The scan did not hang, abort prematurely, or get cancelled.
-   **Errors:** One or more errors occurred during execution. These typically indicate that the Agent could not scan everything configured in the target definition.  
    Common examples include:
-   -   **Access / Permission Denied:** Files, folders, or repositories could not be opened due to credential/permission constraints.
    -   **Inaccessible Locations / Network Timeouts:** Temporary connectivity issues reaching target network shares, cloud storage endpoints, or databases.
    -   **File Locks / Corruption:** Files were locked by another process or could not be parsed or extracted by the Agent.
-   **No Results:** Across all items and locations that *were* successfully inspected, zero sensitive data matches or playbook findings were discovered (`LocationsWithMatches = 0`).

**2\. Practical Implication & Caution**

⚠️ **Key Takeaway:** A status of "No Results" accompanied by "Errors" does **not** guarantee your target is free of sensitive data. Because errors prevented certain locations, files, or paths from being inspected, sensitive data may exist inside the skipped or inaccessible items.

**3\. Recommended Actions**

1.  **Review Scan Logs / Error Details**: Open the scan entry in the SDP Console under **Scans** and check the scan details/error logs to see the specific error messages, failed paths, and affected Agents.
2.  **Verify Credentials and Permissions**: If errors were caused by access issues (for example, `Access Denied`, `401 Unauthorized`), update the target service account credentials or access control lists (ACLs).
3.  **Rescan Failed Locations**: Once the root cause of the error is resolved, re-run the scan (or run an incremental `DIFF` scan where supported) to inspect the previously skipped files.

* * *

### **Inactive Scan States**

-   **Not Run**: The scan configuration has been created and saved, but it has never been executed—either manually or via a schedule. It is essentially a "draft" or a newly created policy waiting for its first run.

* * *

### **Summary Table for Quick Reference**

| Status | Is it finished? | Did it find data? | Were there issues? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Scanning** | No | Not yet | \-- |
| **Scanning, With Results** | No | **Yes** | \-- |
| **Done, With Results** | **Yes** | **Yes** | No |
| **Done, With Results, Errors** | **Yes** | **Yes** | **Yes** |
| **Done, No Results** | **Yes** | No | No |
| **Done, No Results, Errors** | **Yes** | No | **Yes** |
| **Not Run** | \-- | \-- | \-- |

**Troubleshooting Tip:** If you see a status of **"Done, No Results"** on a scan that took 0 seconds to run, it typically means the Agent couldn't find the target path at all (for example, a mapped drive that isn't connected). Always check the **Total Locations** count in the Scan Status pop-up to ensure the Agent actually looked at the files you intended.

* * *

## How to Use Scan Status

The scan **Status** column is used for a number of purposes, including **monitoring**, **maintenance**, and **troubleshooting**.

The specific tasks you perform with Scan Status are as follows:

-   Monitor the status of scans (active/inactive/hung etc.)
-   Resolve failed or hung scans
-   Investigate the details of each scan to identify and resolve any errors that have occurred
-   Identify problem Agents
-   Ensure scan performance - that scans are performed by assigned Agents in a timely fashion

For more information see "[Why does a scan hang or fail to complete?](https://dm0bkdes5q7a2ls.productfruits.help/en/article/why-does-a-scan-hang-or-fail-to-complete)"

### How to View the Detailed Status of a Scan

Use the following steps to view the details of a scan:

1.  From the **Status** column, click the drop-down list of the scan you want to view.  
      
    ![](https://docs.spirion.com/Content/Resources/Images/Assets/Scans/Updated%2010.20.23/Scans%204.1_381x241.jpg)
2.  Click **View Details** from the sub-menu that appears.
3.  The **Scan Details** pop-up window opens. See the example screenshot below:  
      
    ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/cc98946b-284f-49e0-90a9-c0b007f69f8d)

### Scan Details Pop-up Window

The "Scan Details" pop-up window displays details about each endpoint (Agent) involved in the scan and the work it performed during the scan.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/49442420-ea76-47b1-976a-0bdb8ed1c340)

#### Header Information

-   **Scan:** The user-defined name of the scan configuration (in this case, "14JulyOracle12Dist").
-   **Status:** The overall state of the scan. "Done, With Results, Errors" means the job is finished, sensitive data was found, but at least one error occurred during processing.
-   **Total Locations:** A summary of the scan scope.
-   -   10 (1 failed) indicates that 10 files, records, or objects (for example, database tables or folders) were targeted, but 1 could not be processed.

#### Endpoint Results Table

This table breaks down the work performed by each individual Endpoint (Agent) assigned to the scan. Each row represents one Agent/endpoint that participated in the scan.

-   **Endpoint**: The name of the specific machine (Agent) that performed the work in *FQDN* or *hostname* format.
-   **Locations**: The number of data locations (files, database records, mail items, etc.) processed by that specific Agent.
-   **Errors**: The count of issues encountered by that specific Agent.
-   **Status**: The current state of that specific Agent's task.
-   -   **Discovery Completed**: The Agent has finished mapping out the Target (common in distributed scans) - locating and indexing data locations.
    -   **Completed**: The Agent has finished its assigned search tasks.
-   **Last Updated**: The timestamp of the last communication from the Agent **regarding this specific scan** formatted as `MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS`:
-   -   This enables administrators to verify recency of reporting and identify endpoints that may have gone silent or stalled.
    -   To see the last communication of any kind from the Agent, see Last Heartbeat tooltip, below.

#### Last Heartbeat tooltip

The **ⓘ icon** on the left side of each endpoint row displays the **Last Heartbeat** timestamp — the most recent time that scanning Agent communicated back to the system.

#### Auto Refresh toggle

-   When enabled, the modal **automatically polls for updated scan data at a fixed interval**.
-   **Refresh data every 30 seconds** - The label beneath the toggle confirms the polling interval when Auto Refresh is active.
-   -   This is particularly useful when **monitoring an in-progress scan in real time**, allowing administrators to watch endpoint statuses update without manually refreshing.

#### Mark Scan Completed

Scans on the **All Scans** page that display a scanning status such as "Scanning" or "Scanning, With Results," provide a **Scan Details** pop-up window that includes the button "Mark Scan Completed." This button does not appear on the Scan Details pop-up windows for scans with completed scan statuses.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/7bbf2b8a-c341-406e-8bc4-43d92e089660)

The **Mark Scan Completed** button is a manual recovery action designed for situations where a scan remains stuck in the "Scanning" state because the Spirion Agent hung, disconnected, or failed to send its final summary message.

**What the setting does**

When clicked, it invokes `SearchController.MarkScanAsCompleted` to forcefully transition the scan to a finished state and trigger standard completion workflows. This Marks the overall scan complete in only in the Console, not the Agents.

**1\. Database State Updates**

-   `SearchDetails`: Sets the `Completed` flag and clears the `Scanning` flag on the latest search details record for that scan.
-   `ActiveScans`: Removes the entries for that scan policy, freeing the scan from active-tracking tables.

**2\. Downstream Events & Notifications**

-   Publishes a `ScanCompleted` event message to the `ISearchEvent` RabbitMQ queue.
-   **Does not trigger post-scan workflows** - this button has no effect on the scan status/progress/completion

**When to Use this setting**

-   **Stuck Scans**: A scan shows as active/scanning indefinitely because one or more Agents crashed, lost network connectivity, or never delivered their scan summary.
-   **Release Locks / Resources**: When a stuck scan prevents subsequent scans from running cleanly or clutters active dashboard views.

**What this setting Does** ***Not*** **Do**

-   **It does not cancel or terminate running processes on the client machine**: If the Spirion Agent process is still running locally, marking it complete in the console updates the database and backend services, but it does not instruct the Agent itself to abort or roll back.
-   **Does not trigger post-scan workflows** - this button has no effect on the scan status/progress/completion

* * *

## Scan Details Examples

### Distribtued Scan Completed with Results and Errors

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/49442420-ea76-47b1-976a-0bdb8ed1c340)

The **Scan Details** example above shows a detailed breakdown of a completed distributed scan performed by 3 Endpoints (Agents) on 11 locations (files or emails) on July 14, 2025.

#### High-Level Scan Summary

-   **Scan:** User-defined name of scan. In this example, `14JulyOracle12Dist.`
-   **Status:** `Done, With Results, Errors` — This indicates the scan finished and found sensitive data, but also encountered at least 1 issue.
-   **Total Locations:** `10 (1 failed)` — Out of the 10 targeted locations, 1 could not be successfully scanned.

#### Agent (Endpoint) Breakdown

The performance and status of the 3 Agents assigned to this scan are as follows:

1.  **QA10A009-1-155...**
2.  -   **Locations:** 5
    -   **Errors:** 1
    -   **Status:** `Completed`
    -   **Last Updated:** 07/14/2025 04:17:12
    -   **Description:** This Agent is responsible for the "1 failed" location mentioned in the summary, above. The last communication from this Agent regarding this scan was July 14th, 2025 at 4:17 a.m..
3.  **QA10A007-1-156...**
4.  -   **Locations:** 5
    -   **Errors:** 0
    -   **Status:** `Completed`
    -   **Last Updated:** 07/14/2025 04:22:17
    -   **Description:** This Agent discovered 5 locations (files, emails, database records, etc.) which contained sensitive data. 8 errors occurred. The last communication from this Agent regarding this scan was July 14th, 2025 at 4:22 a.m..
5.  **QA10A006-1-154...**
6.  -   **Locations:** 11
    -   **Errors:** 0
    -   **Status:** `Discovery Completed`
    -   **Last Updated:** 07/14/2025 02:59:30
    -   **Description:** This Agent acted as the **Discovery Agent** for this distributed Oracle scan. It performed the initial enumeration of the database tables/columns (11 locations) before the other Agents began their search tasks. The last communication from this Agent regarding this scan was July 14th, 2025 at 2:59 a.m..

#### Last Heartbeat tooltip

The **ⓘ icon** on each endpoint row displays the **Last Heartbeat** timestamp — the most recent time that scanning agent communicated back to the system.

A tooltip is actively displayed on the third row — the endpoint beginning with **QA10A009-1-155\_9601f4...** — triggered by hovering over its blue **ⓘ** icon.

The tooltip displays:

> **Last Heartbeat: 07/15/2025 03:21:18**

For this endpoint, the last heartbeat was **July 15, 2025 at 03:21:18**, which is approximately **23 hours after** its **Last Updated** (scan activity) timestamp of 07/14/2025 04:17:12 — indicating the Agent remained active well after the scan completed.

#### Operational Context

-   **Timestamps:** The scan took place on **July 14, 2025**, between approximately 03:00 and 04:22.
-   **Troubleshooting:** To investigate the single error on Agent `QA10A009`, an administrator would typically check the **Status** logs or **Scan Results** page (Scans > Scan Results) to see the specific error message (for example, a specific database table that was locked or inaccessible).

### Distribtued Scan Completed with Results and Many Errors

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/7afab58b-1944-492c-bfda-a31b36970f6a)

This **Scan Status** example above shows a detailed breakdown of a completed distributed scan performed by 4 Endpoints (Agents) on 1729 locations (files or emails) on December 1, 2025.

#### **High-Level Scan Summary**

-   **Scan:** `1201258_Curt_Jpgs_on_163_4agent_try2_2nd`
-   **Status:** `Done, With Results, Errors` — This indicates the scan finished and found sensitive data, but also encountered some issues (likely permission or file access errors).
-   **Total Locations:** `712` total locations were targeted, with `42 failed`.

#### **Agent (Endpoint) Breakdown**

The performance and status of the 4 Agents assigned to this scan are as follows:

1.  **TMP5345-3-21:**
2.  -   **Locations:** 1729
    -   **Errors:** 0
    -   **Status:** `Discovery Completed`
    -   **Description:** This Agent acted as the **Discovery Agent** for the distributed scan; it has a significantly higher location count and a specific "Discovery Completed" status. Recall, Discovery Agents scan for metadata only. They mark servers, databases, workstations, Email servers, etc. for follow-up Agents to scan for sensitive data. The last communication from this Agent regarding this scan was December 1st, 2025 at 2:41 p.m..
3.  **TMP7213-3-15:**
4.  -   **Locations:** 435
    -   **Errors:** 8
    -   **Status:** `Completed`
    -   **Description:** This Agent discovered 435 locations (files or emails) which contained sensitive data. 8 errors occurred. The last communication from this Agent regarding this scan was December 1st, 2025 at 3:27 p.m..
5.  **TMP5134-3-17:**
6.  -   **Locations:** 0
    -   **Errors:** 28
    -   **Status:** `Completed`
    -   **Description:** This Agent failed to scan any locations successfully, as evidenced by the 0 locations and 28 errors. This often indicates a credential or network path issue specific to this Agent's perspective of the Target. The last communication from this Agent regarding this scan was December 1st, 2025 at 3:27 p.m..
7.  **TMP8633-3-12:**
8.  -   **Locations:** 277
    -   **Errors:** 6
    -   **Status:** `Completed`
    -   **Description:** This Agent discovered 277 locations (files or emails) which contained sensitive data. 6 errors occurred. The last communication from this Agent regarding this scan was December 1st, 2025 at 3:27 p.m..

#### **Operational Context**

-   **Timestamps:** All Agents completed their work on **12/01/2025** between 14:41 and 15:27.
-   **Troubleshooting:** To investigate the "42 failed" locations or the 28 errors on Agent `TMP5134-3-17`, an administrator would typically view the **Results** or **Status** logs to see the specific error messages (for example, "Access Denied" or "File Not Found").

### How to View Scan Results

After a scan is complete, the sensitive data captured by the scan is available.

-   To fully realize the value of Spirion Sensitive Data Platform, it is imperative that you ensure the sensitive data discovered by scans is addressed quickly and appropriately
-   To investigate sensitive data and the actions that are or are not being performed on it, the **All Scans** page is a great place to start.
-   Remember, users typically choose a method of remediating sensitive data that is iterative.
-   1.  First, scan and capture your sensitive data with few actions
    2.  Next, classify the scanned sensitive data
    3.  Next, notify users and request they take action (classify, shred, redact, etc.)
    4.  Next, examine the actions taken on sensitive data by expert users and automate these actions
    5.  At each phase, Spirion Sensitive Dashboards reveal how much exposed sensitive data is being properly managed and remediated over time

Use the following steps to view the results of a scan:

1.  From the left side navigation menu select **Scans > All Scans**.
2.  The **Scans** page opens.
3.  Scan are shown in a table with 3 available tabs:
4.  1.  ALL - This tab contains both Discovery and Sensitive Data scans.
    2.  DISCOVERY SCANS - This tab contains only Discovery scans (metadata only)
    3.  SENSITIVE DATA - This tab contains only Sensitive Data scans
5.  Locate the scan you want to examine.
6.  For the target scan, under the "Status" column perform the following steps:
7.  1.  Click the drop-down menu of the scan completion status (must be "Done, with Results," or "Done, With Results, Errors")
    2.  Select **View Scan Results**.  
          
        ![](https://docs.spirion.com/Content/Resources/Images/Assets/Scans/Updated%2010.20.23/Scans%204_387x247.jpg)
8.  The **Scan Results** page opens with the filter "Scan Name" at the top of the page selected and applied for the scan selected on the Scans page.  
      
    ![Scan Results with single filter - Scan Name - applied](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/36ee3698-ba63-40b7-9d69-db18a9b8979b)
9.  1.  The table on the page displays only the results of the scan you selected.
    2.  From here, investigate the status of your sensitive data by location (file or email which contains sensitive data matches, including path)
    3.  1.  Scroll to the right to the **Locations** column
        2.  Click the opposing arrows icon:  
            ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/22edcdb0-81ff-4d7c-bcb1-cfe2f09ffa18)  
            Alternatively, click the More Options menu at the end of the row, and select **View Matches**.
    4.  The "Location Details" pop-up window opens with various information about the Location selected.
    5.  For details about the Location Details window and how to take remediation actions on the sensitive data matches shown, see [How to Perform Location and Match Actions on Scan Results](https://dm0bkdes5q7a2ls.productfruits.help/en/article/how-to-perform-location-and-match-actions-on-scan-results).