Archive and retention

DocView Capture keeps page images, batch data and logs only as long as you need them. Retention settings decide when each kind of data is deleted. This keeps storage under control, keeps SQL Server Express under its 10 GB limit, and helps you follow data protection rules such as the GDPR.

This page explains the archive, each retention setting, and how they work together.

What happens after export

When the export step finishes, the batch is archived:

It stays in the Batch Manager with the state Archived.
Its details show when it was archived and, when a period is set, the date it will be deleted automatically.
You can still open its details, history, fields and source files.
You can send it back to any step to process it again (see below).

Archived batches are deleted automatically after Delete archived batches after (days). The default is 30 days.

To find archived batches, open the Batch Manager and choose Archived in the state filter.

Retention settings at a glance

Data	Setting	Where	Default
Archived batches (with their pages and data)	Delete archived batches after (days)	Settings	30 days
Page images after export	Images after export	Batch Setup, Output & export tab	Keep
History of completed batches	Batch history retention (days)	Settings	365 days
Audit log	Audit log retention (days)	Settings	730 days
Error log	Error log retention (days)	Settings	180 days
Sign-in history and ended sessions	Follows the audit log retention	Settings	730 days
Users' notifications	Notification history (days)	Settings	90 days
Log files of the programs	14 files per program (one per day)	Configuration files	14 days

For every setting in days, 0 means keep everything.

Images after export

Each Batch Setup decides what happens to its page images once a batch is exported. The images are the scanned or imported pages held in DocView Capture's storage, not the files you exported to your own systems.

Open the Batch Setup and work on a draft version.
Open the Output & export tab.
Choose Images after export:
- Keep: the images stay until the archived batch is deleted;
- Delete immediately: the images are deleted as soon as the export succeeds;
- Delete after a number of days: then enter the Days (1 to 3650).
Save and release the version.

When images are deleted, the batch history records it, for example "Retention period ended".

Important: A batch whose images were deleted cannot be processed again from an earlier step, and Start again is not possible for it. Choose Delete immediately only when your own system keeps the exported documents.

Process an archived batch again

Supervisors can take a batch out of the archive, for example when the target system lost the files.

Open the batch in the Batch Manager.
Click More.
In Move to, choose the step, for example the export step.
Optionally, tick Start again: remove documents and values, keep the pages. The batch is then separated, classified and extracted again from the start.
Click Go and confirm.

The batch leaves the archive, continues from the chosen step, and is exported again in full to every destination. You need the permission Batches.Manage.

Batch history and the audit log

Batch history is the step-by-step record of each batch (created, claimed, released, moved and so on). Batch history retention (days) removes the history of completed batches that are older than the period. History of batches that are still being worked on is never deleted.
The audit log records who changed what, including every field value change. Audit log retention (days) removes older entries. See Audit log.

Tip: The dashboard's performance figures are calculated from batch history. A history retention shorter than 30 days would reduce the 30-day figures. See Dashboard and reports.

When deletion runs

Retention is applied by the DocView Workers' maintenance job, about every 10 minutes. Each run deletes a limited number of batches, so a large backlog is removed over several runs.

At least one DocView Worker must be running. See DocView Workers.
Deleted batches, images and entries cannot be restored from the application. Only a restore of your database and storage backups brings them back.

Choosing retention periods

Consider:

Your legal duties. Tax, health and financial records often have minimum keeping periods. Usually the system you export to keeps the official copy; DocView Capture only needs data while documents are being captured and checked.
Data protection. Personal data should not be kept longer than needed. Short archive and image periods help.
Re-export needs. Keep archived batches long enough to recover from a failed delivery that someone notices late.
Audit needs. Auditors may want to see who changed which value. Keep the audit log long enough, or export it regularly. See Audit log.
Storage. Page images take the most space. They live in file or blob storage, not in SQL Server.

A common starting point:

Setting	Value
Delete archived batches after (days)	30
Images after export	Keep
Batch history retention (days)	365
Audit log retention (days)	730
Error log retention (days)	180

Note: Retention settings in DocView Capture do not replace backups. Back up the database, the storage folder or blob container, and the key ring certificate. See Upgrading.