What is the Automatic File Purge?

The Automatic file Purge is a feature that automatically deletes files from the Image Module once a case has been disposed of for some time. There are a few configurations to indicate which Case Types can have their imaged purged, which Image Types can be purged, how old an image must be, and how long ago the case was closed.

DO NOT attempt to enable this module unless you completely understand how it works!

How does the File Purge work?

The purge process looks for a specific event in a case that indicates when the images on that case can be purged. For example, let’s assume an event called DESTSCHED (Destruction scheduled) indicates when files can be purged. Every night there is a Job that runs and a search for CLOSED cases with the event DESTSCHED with the current or past date and the images in these cases will be deleted as long as they match all the additional criteria.

Once the images have been purged, they will be deleted. Even if a case is Reopened, the images that have already been deleted(purged) will not come back into the case.

There is a hardcoded value of at least 350 days before the system attempts to delete a file. This number was set for both the age of a file and the age of the disposition. This is an additional safeguard measure to prevent files from being deleted prematurely.

Criteria for files to be purged:

The purge feature requires the Purge Event to be added to the case. Once the Event is added, the Purge feature will validate 2 things:

• Purge Event on Case
  
• Most recent Disposition Date
  
• Age of Image
  

Examples of how the File Purge functions:

Users can reopen a case that has been purged, and the purge feature will still be active to purge the images in the future once the conditions are met again. The conditions being, that the case was closed again and 2 years have passed from the most recent Disposition date and the images were added to the case over 2 years ago.

Example 2: If an image is added after the purge but we do not need to reopen the case.

For the example above, let's say the configurations are set for a case to be purged 2 years after the case is Disposed. The image is also set to be purged after 2 years.

The new image that was added to the case will remain in the case until the conditions are met. That means, the new image will be available in the case for 2 years, and once the image is past the age of 2 and the Disposition was more than 2 years ago, the image will then be purged.