Retaining objects

Set a retention period to specify how long an object must be retained before it is eligible for deletion. You can set retention on an object or you can specify a default retention period on a class.

A retention setting can be applied either statically or based on events. Static retention for an object is set once. After a fixed amount of time, the static retention requirement is satisfied and the object can be deleted. Event-based retention is dynamic, allowing you to change the retention setting for an object after the occurrence of a business event. Event-based retention closely aligns the retention policy of the data with the business requirements for that data. Typical events that can require a change in data retention for an object include termination of employment, expiration of contracts, settlement of legal matters, and completion of tax audits.

In a retention update sweep, Content Platform Engine iterates over all the objects in an object store to determine which objects should have a retention date applied or updated. You can run a sweep once by using a retention job sweep, or you can cause Content Platform Engine to run multiple iterations by using a retention policy.

Although you can manually change the retention setting for an object, in most cases the retention setting for the object is determined by the default retention period that has been specified for the class.

The clock on the server where Content Platform Engine is deployed serves as the retention clock. After the time period that is specified by the retention date is expired, the object can be deleted.