A copy procedure detects qualified data objects in a body of source data, and copies the source data to a target storage unit except for unqualified data objects, which are replaced with a prescribed bit pattern. Following completion of the backup, a record is prepared indicating that all data objects exist in the specified target storage, regardless of whether each data object was replaced with a predetermined bit pattern rather than being physically written to the specified target storage. This process may be repeated in order to perform data reclamation, effectively removing user files no longer qualifying for backup.