File versions retention policy

Quick reference: Admin → Settings → File versions retention 

Every time a user updates, restores, or uploads a new version of an existing file, a new version of the file is created as well as a history of actions for each file. The versions are retained so that users can view and optionally restore a version of a file.

Over a period of time, the versions list can grow significantly. To avoid a storage issue, you can define the length of time to retain previous versions of files before permanently deleting automatically. For all new Syncplicity accounts, the default setting is to retain the 10 most recent versions and delete previous versions after 30 days. Alternatively, you can choose to retain all versions forever.

In addition, you can create custom retention policies for specific files and folders in your Syncplicity account. These policies control the length of time that versions of specific items are retained before being permanently deleted.

To view the file versions retention settings:

1. Click Admin in the console.
2. Select Settings.
3. In the Manage Settings page, select File versions retention under the Data Retention section.
   

From this screen, you can:

• Change the default setting to retain all versions forever.  The Retain all versions forever setting applies to all files.
• Retain a different number of versions and delete older versions for a different length of time. The Number of last versions to retain setting that applies to all files
• Create an advanced policy by clicking the Create Policy button. This option allows you to create policies that apply to specific files, providing you with additional granular control. You can create a retention policy based on file type, file name, file size, or folder.

NOTES:

• When you create retention polices, the Retain all versions forever and the Number of last versions to retain settings continue to apply to all the files not affected by any policy.
• When you change the setting or create a policy, make sure to click Save to implement your changes.

File Type

You can create a policy that applies to file types, which can be Documents, Audio or Video file. You can also specify whether the policy applies to the selected type (select is) or applies to the file types other than the selected type (select is not).

If you apply the policy to a Documents file type, the files with the following extensions are affected: as, bat, c, cmd, cpp, cs, css, doc, docx, dot, dotx, h, htm, html, java, js, mdb, mmap, mny, mpp, msg, odf, odp, ods, odt, one, pdf, php, pl, pps, ppsx, ppt, pptx, ps1, pub, py, qbb, rb, rtf, sxw,t05, t06, t07, t08, t09, t10, tax, txt, vb, vbs, vsd, wdb, wks, wps, xls, xlsx, xml

If you apply the policy to an Audio file type, the files with the following extensions are affected: aif, au, cda, med, mid, midi, mod, mp3, mpa, ogg, ra, rmi, rmx, rv, s3m, sfx, sid, snd, spc, voc, vvs, wav, wma, xm

If you apply the policy to a Video file type, the files with the following extensions are affected: asf, avi, divx, mov, mpg, mpg4, rm, vob, wmv, xvid

File Name

You can create a policy that applies to specific files by name, using these options:

• Is: Applies only the file name that you enter.
• Starts With: Applies only to those file names that begin with the text you enter.
• Ends With: Applies only to those file names that end with the text you enter.
• Contains: Applies only to those file names that contain the text you enter.
• Matches RegEx: Applies to those file names that match the regular expression you enter.

Select the number of versions to retain forever, and the time to wait before deleting the older versions.

File Size

You can create a policy that applies to specific files by size, using these options:

• Is larger than: Applies to the files that are larger than the size you enter, which can be in KB, MB, and GB.
• Is smaller than: Applies to the files that are smaller than the size you enter, which can be in KB, MB, and GB.
• Number of last version(s) retain to forever: Do not delete the most recent versions. You enter the number of recent versions you wish to retain.
• Delete older versions after: Choose the length of time to wait before deleting those versions that match the size and are not within the recent versions that you wish to retain.

Folder

You can create a policy that applies to files in a specific folder or those folders owned by a specific user, using these options:

• Is: Select the name of the folder.
• Was created by: Select the name of the owner.
• Number of last version(s) retain to forever: Do not delete the most recent versions; enter the number of recent versions you want to retain.
• Delete older versions after: Choose the length of time to wait before you delete the versions that are within the specified folders and are not within the recent versions that you want to retain.

Priority

If you create multiple policies, you can specify which policy has the higher priority in a situation where a file or folder is affected by multiple policies. To do this, use the Up and Down arrows to move the policies. The policy at the top of the list has the highest priority.

To delete a policy, use the X.