Learn how to configure archive and retention rules in Formalize, including archiving items for a set period and managing their lifecycle.
Overview
Previously, the only available action for removing items was to delete them permanently. While effective, this approach didn’t support scenarios where records needed to be preserved over time—for example, keeping a record of a Resource item for historical reference.
With the new Archive and Retention feature, you can now archive items instead of deleting them. This allows you to stop using an item, such as a supplier you no longer work with, while still retaining it for a designated period for documentation and compliance purposes.
How items were deleted previously
Before this feature update, you could delete an item directly by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting “Delete”. That has now changed, and from now on you'll have to follow a slightly different flow.
What changes: Archive vs. Delete
You can now archive items before deleting them permanently. For example, in the Risk module:
- To archive an item: Click the three-dot menu and select "Archive".
Archived items are removed from the active view and are no longer considered relevant data across the platform.
- To view archived items: Click the "More" button in the top-right corner of any module and select "View Archive".
In the archive view, you can see:
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How long items will be retained before automatic deletion.
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The usual table columns for risks, plus two new columns: "Archive Date" and "Auto Deletion Date".
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To unarchive any item (in this case a risk): Click "Unarchive" to restore it to the active view.
The system will then confirm that this has now been unarchived, and you can find in its usual place: in the Risk module.
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With this new feature, you can still manually delete an item. In the archive view, select the item you want to remove and click the “Delete” button.
This is what you can currently archive in Formalize:
- Tasks
- Frameworks (controls only)
- Policies
- Risks (excluding risk version)
- Incidents
- Evidence
- Statistics (dashboards only)
- Reports
- Resources (Suppliers, Assets, etc.)
- Processing Activities, and Data Subject Requests.
Below is an example of archiving a Control. To view the archived ones you just need to click “Options” and then “View archive”.
Retention
As mentioned, you can now keep an archive of items that are no longer active or relevant, for a defined period. After this period, items are permanently deleted. The default retention period is 5 years.
To customize the retention period:
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Go to Settings.
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Select the desired module or resource (e.g., Risks).
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Scroll to the bottom and choose the retention period.
Common Questions
- Do archived items appear in dashboards?
No. Once an item is archived, it is no longer considered in dashboard data. Dashboards will only display active items. However, archived items can be included in reports if the report is configured to include archived data. - If a resource is unarchived, will it automatically be connected to all the data connections it had before, or do the connections need to be done manually again?
All connections and information are maintained in the archive state. When an item is unarchived, all connections and information are kept and will automatically be available again in the active state. - If a supplier's data is used to calculate a field and the supplier is archived, will the calculation field still work with the remaining active data, or will it become invalid?
The calculation field will be updated to consider only the currently active, connected items. Archived items are effectively placed in an inactive loop and are not factored into calculations. The field will recalculate when an item is unarchived.