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[This article is prerelease documentation and is subject to change.]
This article explains how to purge data from the history table in Microsoft Dynamics 365.
The Archive with Dataverse long term retention feature decreases the amount of space that customers use in their finance and operations database. To achieve this decrease, it reduces the indexing on the relevant data as it's moved to history tables for archiving. However, as time passes, data that is stored in history tables may no longer be needed. The Purge from history archive feature helps minimize storage space for data that is stored in Dynamics 365 finance and operations by letting customers purge that data from history tables for supported scenarios. In this way, customers can benefit fully from the Archive with Dataverse long term retention feature.
Important
Purge from history archive (Preview) feature is temporarily disabled in production
To prevent potential archived field-level data issues in the Datalake, this feature is temporarily disabled in all production environments until further notice. This precautionary measure helps protect the integrity of customer data while the issue is being investigated and resolved.
What this change means for you:
- Existing purge jobs that completed aren't affected.
- The Delete history button is temporarily unavailable in production environments.
This page will be updated when the feature is re-enabled in production.
Prerequisites
Before you can enable the Purge from history archive feature, your system must be running version 10.0.45 or later.
Enable the Purge from history archive feature
Open the Feature management workspace, and turn on the Purge from history archive feature.
Purge data from the history table
Before you can purge data from the history table, ensure the following conditions are met:
- The archival job you want to purge associated data from must be successfully completed. Otherwise, you can't select the archival job.
- You must select at least one archival job. Otherwise, you can't select the Delete history button.
Note
If an archival job is being restored or is scheduled for restoration, you can't purge the data that is associated with it. To create a purge job to delete data from the history table, follow these steps:
- Go to System administration > Workspaces > Archive with Dataverse long term retention.
- In the Archive with Dataverse long term retention workspace, select a completed archival job. You can also select multiple completed archival jobs for the same functional scenario.
- Select Delete history.
- A confirmation message prompts you to acknowledge that the purge process can't be reversed. Acknowledge the message, and submit the purge job.
Purge job status
The following table explains the different statuses that a purge job can have.
| Job status | Description |
|---|---|
| Deletion queued | The purge job can't run immediately. |
| Deletion in progress | The purge job is running. |
| Deleted | The purge job finished running, and the data was successfully purged. In this case, the Exists in history data field is set to No, and the Results field shows the number of records that were deleted. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Purge from history archive feature?
The Purge from history archive feature lets users permanently delete historical data from operational history tables after it's successfully archived. This feature ensures that the operational database stays streamlined and performs efficiently while the archived data is securely retained in Dataverse long-term retention storage for regulatory and compliance purposes.
Why was the feature introduced?
The Purge from history archive feature addresses the need to fully optimize storage and database performance by removing redundant records from history tables. Although the existing Archive with Dataverse long term retention feature moves inactive data to history tables and Dataverse, it doesn't include a mechanism for deleting data from history tables. Therefore, organizations can't achieve maximum storage savings. The Purge from history archive feature fills this gap to complete the data lifecycle.
What happens to the archived data in Dataverse during a purge?
The purge process removes data only from the operational history tables in Dynamics 365. The archived data in Dataverse long-term retention remains unaffected and securely accessible. Users can still retrieve archived records that are stored in Dataverse for compliance and reporting purposes.
Who can use the feature?
Administrators who have access to the Archive with Dataverse long term retention workspace in Dynamics 365 can use the Purge from history archive feature.
What are the eligibility criteria for purging data?
The Purge from history archive feature works only with data from completed archive jobs. If an archival job is still in progress or wasn't successfully completed, the Delete history button remains unavailable to help prevent accidental data deletion.
Can I schedule multiple purge jobs at the same time?
Yes, you can schedule multiple purge jobs to run simultaneously on different archival scenarios (for example, general ledger and sales orders). In this way, you can clean up history tables for several completed archive jobs in a single operation. This capability helps improve efficiency.
How can I track the progress of a purge job?
The purge process is fully transparent. You can find detailed logs in the Archive with Dataverse long term retention workspace. These logs include the following information:
- The number of records that were deleted
- The tables that were affected
- A timeline of actions that were taken during the purge
You can monitor the status of purge jobs in real time through the Results column.
What safeguards are in place to help prevent accidental data loss?
The Purge from history archive feature includes multiple safeguards.
- The Delete history button is available only for completed archive jobs. This limitation helps ensure that no critical data is removed prematurely.
- A confirmation message requires that you acknowledge the irreversible nature of the purge process.
- Archived data in Dataverse long-term retention is unaffected by the Purge from history archive feature.
How does the feature help optimize storage and performance?
By permanently removing data from history tables, the Purge from history archive feature provides the following benefits:
- The size of the operational database is reduced. Therefore, system performance is improved.
- Storage costs are minimized, because history tables no longer consume space unnecessarily.
- By combining purging with Dataverse's compression of archived data, you can achieve full capacity savings.
Does the feature affect compliance or audit requirements?
No, the Purge from history archive feature doesn't compromise compliance or audit readiness. Dataverse securely retains all archived data in long-term retention storage. You can access this data for reporting, auditing, or regulatory purposes, even after it's purged from history tables.