Purge Policies

Meet data removal rules by setting purge policies in the Archive managed package that go over the original data expiration set when archiving. These policies permanently delete data.

Note This content relates to Archive. For Salesforce Archive, see Store Data Externally with Salesforce Archive.

For more information, see Retention versus Purge Policy in Archive.

Note Archive Purge Policy Permission set is required to manage Purge Policies.

A purge policy runs once a day. You can also run it manually when the purge policy isn't running. On the Activities tab, review purge policy activity and download a CSV file that lists the purged records.

Each purge policy run deletes up to 1,000,000 records. For details about the run limit, legal hold, and Archived Data Protected from Purge, see How Purge Policies Work.

To configure permissions for purge policies:

Click the Setup gear icon to open the dropdown menu.
Select Setup.
In the Quick Find box, type "Permission Sets" and select Permission Sets from the results.
Alternatively, click the arrow icon next to Users and select Permission Sets.
Assign the Archive Purge Policy Permission.
Click Save.

Warning Exercise caution when granting Purge Policy permissions, as purging records is permanent, and purged data can't be retrieved.

Create a Purge Policy

Create a purge policy that deletes archived records.

Go to the Policies tab and click Select +New Policy.
In the policy creation window, choose Purge Policy.
The new purge policy window opens.

Add Your Policy Details

In the purge policy form, provide this information.

Description: Add a description to explain the purpose of the policy.
Policy Name: Enter a recognizable name for the policy. For example, "Inactive Cases Opened 2 Years Ago."
Enabled: Select this checkbox to turn on the Purge Policy.
- View the last modified date as per the user's browser.
- View the Modified by Identity.

To configure query details:

From the Archive Root Object dropdown menu, select the relevant object for the purge operation.
From the Field dropdown menu, select the relevant option.
Newly added fields can take up to 24 hours to appear in this list.
Choose an operator, such as equals, less than, greater than, and so on, that defines the condition.
Archive treats number fields as text. For number fields, select equals.
Optionally, add a Date Category to refine your query further.
Enter or Select a Value: The available values depend on your selected operator.
Additional Query Options
- +Add Condition: To add another condition, click +Add Condition and repeat the steps above.
- Reset: Click the Reset button to clear all conditions and start over.
- Delete Condition: Click the Delete icon to remove any condition.
Warning
Set at least one condition. A purge policy without a condition deletes all archived records of the root object when it runs.

Records removed via the purge policy can't be recovered. Exercise caution regarding access.
Click Save.

Estimate and Run a Purge Policy

The Estimate feature provides insight into the records scheduled for purging according to the policy for the next execution.

Click the Policies tab.
Select a Purge Policy.
Click Estimate.
The estimate process begins, and you're redirected to the Policies table.
After the estimate process completes, go to the Activities tab.
Locate the Execution Details column and click Download File.
To review all records to be purged with this policy, open the downloaded file.

Run a Purge Policy

Run a purge policy manually, without waiting for the scheduled run.

Select the Purge Policy you wish to execute.
Click Run Now.
A warning appears. You can't start a run while the purge policy is still running.
Click Confirm to initiate the purge process.

Warning Archive purges up to 1,000,000 records that match this purge policy in the background. You can't recover them. To follow progress, go to the Activities tab.