A retention record object defines how long a document should
be kept after it is determined to no longer be relevant. For example,
when a product model becomes obsolete, all the associated documentation
for that product also becomes obsolete. The retention record defines
the length of time to keep a document before it can be purged. Purging
does not delete the document object; purged records remain in the database
and can be referenced as needed. Purging deletes the files checked into
the Document object and changes the object type to Purged Document.
A retention hold object contains all those data that need to
be stored indefinitely. This data is usually statutory or legal and should
never be purged or deleted from the database. If at some point your company
does want to delete those documents, you can promote them to the Released
state and then delete them.
You can only add documents to the retention record or
retention hold when it is in the Active state. Once it is promoted to
the Scheduled state, you can remove documents, but you cannot add additional
documents.
You cannot delete a document in a retention hold object unless it
is promoted to the release state. You can, however, remove the document
and then delete it if necessary.