Purge Old - Explained
The Purge Old Data feature in OPS-COM allows administrators to remove inactive historical records from the system. This process is essential for maintaining database efficiency, improving system performance, and ensuring that your data remains relevant and manageable by automatically archiving or deleting old, unused information. The only records that will be purged are ones that have not had any activity associated with them for more than 7 years.
Using this Feature
1. Click Tools, then Purge Old Data.
When you click Purge Old Data, the system initiates a process to identify records that meet the purging criteria.
- Upon activation, a progress bar will appear, indicating the number of records being identified for potential purging. The system compiles a list of any user activity and associated record updates that have occurred within the last seven years.
- The compiled "activity list" determines which data to exclude from the purge. The script then proceeds to purge any data that is not on this active list.
- To complete the process and execute the purge, click Purge these records.
An important business rule is that any small update or activity on a record will "restart" its 7-year clock, meaning the record will then be excluded from purging for another seven years from that last activity date.
What Gets Purged?
The following record types will be purged if they have had no activity in the last 7 years:
- User profiles
- Vehicles
- Violations
- Permits
- Appeals
- Temp Permits
- Payments
- Lockers
- Access Cards
- Gate Events
- Refunds
- Waitlist Records
- User History
What Does NOT Get Purged?
The following record types will NOT be purged, regardless of their last updated date, ensuring the retention of critical historical and incident-related information:
- Incident Users
- Contact History
Best Practices & Considerations
- Understand the 7-Year Rule: Remember that any interaction or update restarts the 7-year inactivity clock for a record. This ensures that records with recent activity, even minor, are preserved.
- Performance Benefits: Regularly purging old data can significantly improve system performance by reducing database size and speeding up searches and reports.
- Data Retention Policies: Ensure this purge process aligns with your organization's data retention policies and legal compliance requirements.
- Historical Context: Be aware that while purged records are removed, essential incident and contact history data remains for long-term reference.
- Schedule Appropriately: Consider running this purge during off-peak hours to minimize any potential impact on system users, although the process is designed to be efficient.