Administration

Data Archival & Retention

Manage data retention policies, archive old submissions, and clean up notification records

archival retention gdpr cleanup submissions audit compliance

Data Archival Overview

The Data Archival system helps you manage data retention in compliance with GDPR and organisational policies. It allows you to archive old submissions, clean up audit logs, and remove outdated notification records. Access via Admin > Data Archival (Head Office only).

Default Retention Policies

Data TypeDefault RetentionNotes
Funding Submissions24 months after exportOnly exported submissions are eligible
Audit Logs36 monthsSystem activity records
Notifications12 monthsSent notification records

Archival Summary Dashboard

The Data Archival page shows:

  • Eligible Submissions - Count of submissions meeting archival criteria
  • Eligible Audit Logs - Count of old audit records
  • Eligible Notifications - Count of outdated notification records
  • Last Archival Date - When each type was last archived

Manual Archival

You can trigger archival jobs manually:

Archive Submissions

  1. Click 'Archive Submissions'
  2. The system queues a background job
  3. Check Hangfire dashboard for progress

Archived submissions are soft-deleted (marked with IsArchived flag) and excluded from normal queries.

Archive Audit Logs

  1. Click 'Archive Audit Logs'
  2. Old audit records are permanently deleted
  3. This is irreversible - ensure compliance with your retention policy

Cleanup Notifications

  1. Click 'Cleanup Notifications'
  2. Old notification records are permanently deleted
  3. Does not affect notification templates or settings

Run Full Archival

  1. Click 'Run All Archival'
  2. Executes all three archival operations in sequence
  3. Recommended for monthly maintenance

Scheduled Archival

The system runs automatic archival on the 1st of each month at 3:00 AM UTC. This includes:

  • Archiving eligible submissions
  • Deleting old audit logs
  • Cleaning up old notifications

Monitoring Progress

Archival jobs run as background tasks:

  1. Go to Admin > Hangfire Dashboard
  2. Click 'Jobs' > 'Succeeded' or 'Processing'
  3. Find archival jobs by name (e.g., 'ArchiveOldSubmissionsAsync')
  4. View execution time and any errors

What Happens to Archived Data

  • Submissions - Soft-deleted (can be restored if needed by developers)
  • Audit Logs - Permanently deleted
  • Notifications - Permanently deleted

Important: Audit log and notification deletion is permanent. Ensure your retention policy compliance before running these operations. Consider exporting audit logs before archival if required for compliance.

GDPR Note: The default retention periods are designed to balance operational needs with data minimisation principles. Adjust these settings in system configuration if your organisation has different requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I restore archived submissions?
Archived submissions are soft-deleted and can be restored by a developer if absolutely necessary. However, this is not a standard operation and should only be done in exceptional circumstances.
Why are some old submissions not being archived?
Only submissions with 'Exported' status are eligible for archival. Submissions in other states are retained regardless of age to prevent data loss for incomplete processes.
How do I export audit logs before deletion?
Use the Audit Log page (Admin > Audit Log) to filter and export records to Excel before running the archival job. This provides a permanent record if required.
Can I change the retention periods?
Yes, retention periods are configurable in the system settings (appsettings.json). Contact your system administrator to adjust these values.
Last updated: January 25, 2026
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