Enterprise Vault™ Managing Retention

Last Published:
Product(s): Enterprise Vault (14.1, 14.0, 12.5, 12.4, 12.3)

About the user actions that can cause retention category updates

Several Administration Console settings determine whether, when users perform actions that could potentially update the retention categories of their archived items, Enterprise Vault allows the updates to take place. For example, users may move archived items between folders to which you have applied different retention categories, or change the retention categories of items in Enterprise Vault Search, if permitted. Both actions can cause the retention categories of the items to change. Figure: Decision process for updating the retention categories of items shows how Enterprise Vault decides whether to change the retention categories of these items.

Figure: Decision process for updating the retention categories of items

Decision process for updating the retention categories of items

Table: Administration Console settings that determine whether user actions can affect retention

Administration Console setting

Effect of setting

Site properties > Archive Settings tab

This is where you set the default retention category for the site. Setting a different retention category at a more granular level, such as on an archive, overrides this default.

Allow user actions to update categories determines whether, when users perform actions that could potentially update the retention categories of their archived items, Enterprise Vault allows the updates to take place. The options are as follows:

  • Always. This is the default action. Enterprise Vault always updates the retention category of the items, even if this has a shorter retention period. Note that this may mean that the items expire sooner, or even immediately.

  • If item expiry is the same or later, or the record type changes. "Item expiry" means the date when the item's retention period expires. For example, a user moves items from folder A to folder B. Items in folder A have a 7 year retention period. The category assigned to folder B has a 5 year retention period. Assuming that If item expiry is the same or later, or the record type changes is selected, Enterprise Vault calculates when the items will expire with the new 5 year category (item's modified or archived date + 5 years). If the expiry date with the folder B category is the same or later than the expiry date with the folder A category, Enterprise Vault updates the category for these moved items. If the expiry date with the folder B category is sooner than the expiry date with the folder A category, Enterprise Vault does not update the category for these moved items.

If you are using the Enterprise Vault classification feature, you can use classification policy options to prevent changes to a retention category that was set using classification.

Site properties > Storage Expiry tab

Whether you base expiry on the item's Modified date or Archived date is likely to affect when an item's retention period expires. This is particularly relevant if there is a significant delay in archiving items.

Classification policy properties > Settings tab

Prevent user actions from updating retention categories lets you prevent changes to a retention category that was set using classification.

Retention category properties > Details tab (Settings options)

The following hold options are available on this tab:

  • Prevent automatic deletion of expired items with this category

  • Prevent user deletion of items with this category

Consider the following situation:

  • An item in a mailbox folder has a retention category with a hold set on automatic deletion of expired items.

  • The user moves the item to a folder that has a different category assigned. The folder category does not have any holds set.

Enterprise Vault updates the item category, subject to the site and classification policy settings for retention category updates. In this example, updating the category means that the hold on automatic deletion on expiry is removed. Similarly, user action may cause a change of retention category from one that specifies a hold on user deletion to one that does not. This can lead to the removal of the hold on user deletion.

If you use retention categories with the above holds set, consider carefully where you apply them. We recommend that you do not assign such retention categories to mailbox folders. However, if you do assign them to mailbox folders, then it is advisable to configure the same holds for the retention categories.

Retention category properties > Details tab (Retention options)

The retention category Period settings can affect the retention of items in the following situations:

  • The user performs an action that can potentially update the retention category of an archived item. For example, the user may move the item between folders to which you have applied different retention categories, or use the facility in Enterprise Vault Search to change the item's retention category.

    In either case, the new and original retention categories base expiry on different dates: for example, one category might use the modified date, and the other use the archived date.

  • In site settings, Allow user actions to update categories > If item expiry is the same or later, or the record type changes is selected.

To decide whether to change the retention category on an item when a user action may affect the category, Enterprise Vault calculates which retention category gives the later expiry date. As expiry in the source and destination folders is based on different dates, the items that Enterprise Vault updates may be unexpected. For this reason, we recommend that retention categories assigned to mailbox folders base expiry on the same date.