Lesson: Information Management Policy

Information Management Policy Basics

SharePoint's Information Management Policies are used to perform various automated actions on list and library items based on date properties. The built-in time formula can be based on either the date the item was created, modified, or declared record. The following is a list of actions that can be launched when the chosen time period elapses:

• Move to Recycle Bin
• Permanently Delete
• Transfer to another location (only works if a "send to" location has been defined for the web application in Central Administration)
• Start a workflow
• Skip to next stage
• Declare record
• Delete previous drafts
• Delete all previous versions

The same action can be set to reoccur at a set interval and/or multiple stages can be created to perform different actions for the created, modified, or declared record states of an item.

If you have developers in your organization, the Information Management Policy system supports custom retention formulas to go beyond the created, modified, and declared record date properties.

Information Management Policies can be defined with a content type. The content type policy can be overridden with a policy defined in a list/library.

Define and Information Policy for a Content Type

Defining an Information Management Policy for a content type enables the policy to be applied to items based on the content type no matter what list or library they exist in.

The following walk-through will show you how to create a new content type and define an Information Management Policy for it.

1. Open our browser and navigate to your team site.
2. Create a new content type named "Policy Demo" based on the Document type.
   1. Click the Settings menu drop-down and choose the Site Settings option.
   2. Click the Site content types link under the Web Designer Galleries group.
   3. Click the Create link at the top of the Site Content Types gallery page.
   4. Type Policy Demo in the Name field.
   5. Select Document Content Types in the Select parent content type from drop-down field.
   6. Select Document in the Parent Content Type drop-down field.
   7. Click the OK button to complete creating the new content type.
3. Define a Document Information Policy that removes old versions of documents one day after the document has been modified.
   1. Click the Information management policy settings link in the Settings area.
   2. Check the Enable Retention check box.
   3. Click the Add a retention stage... link under the Enable Retention check box.
   4. Select Modified + 1 days for the Time Period fields.
   5. Select Delete all previous versions in the Action drop-down field.
   6. Click the OK button to save the Stage properties.
   7. Click the OK button to save the policy setting to the content type.

Defining Information Policy for a List

By default, SharePoint lists and libraries will use the Information Management Policy defined in the content type of an item. Optionally, you can set a list or library to have its own Information Management Policy that will override any policies defined by a content type.

The following walk-through will show you how to create a new document library and define an Information Management Policy for it.

1. Create a new document library named "Managed Docs Demo".
   1. Click the Settings menu and choose the Add an app option.
   2. Click the Document Library link in the list of templates.
   3. Type Managed Docs Demo in the Name field.
   4. Click the Create button to finish creating the new document library.
2. Define an Information Management Policy for the Managed Docs Demo library.
   1. Click the new Managed Docs Demo library link in the Quick Launch menu.
   2. Click the Library Settings button on the LIBRARY tab toolbar.
   3. Click the Information management policy settings link under the Permissions and Management group.
   4. Click the Change Source link on the Information Management Policy Settings page.
   5. Click the Library and Folders radio button to change the Source of Retention.
   6. Click the OK button on the Message from web page dialog warning you about content type retention schedules being ignored.
   7. Click the Add a retention stage... link in the Library Based Retention Schedule area.
   8. Type "1" in the Amount of time field and change the Unit of time field to days.
   9. Change the Retention Action field to Permanently Delete.
   10. Click the OK button to save the stage property settings.
   11. Click the OK button to save the retention schedule for the library.

       Due to the shortest duration being one day, you cannot verify the Information Management Policy works as part of the walk-through. If you will have access to a SharePoint server for at least the next 24 hours, you can create or upload a new document into the library and verify it is deleted after the duration period has elapsed.

Create an Information Management Policy for a List

The Information Management policy settings only come with the pay versions of SharePoint so this exercise will not work with SharePoint Foundation.

1. Navigate to your team site.
2. Create a new document library named "Info Mgmt" to use for this exercise.
   1. Click the Settings menu and select the Add an app link from the drop-down of choices.
   2. Click the Document Library link in the list of templates.
   3. In the Adding Document Library dialog form that opens, type "Info Mgmt" in the Name field.
   4. Click the Create button to complete creating the library.
3. Create an Information Management Policy setting for the Info Mgmt library that permanently deletes documents after one day.
   1. Click the new Info Mgmt library link in the Quick Launch menu.
   2. Click the Library Settings button on the LIBRARY tab toolbar.
   3. Click the Information management policy settings link under the Permissions and Management group of the Settings page.
   4. Click the Change Source link on the Information Management Policy Settings page.
   5. Click the Library and Folders radio button to change the Source of Retention.
   6. Click the OK button on the Message from web page dialog warning you about content type retention schedules being ignored.
   7. Click the Add a retention stage... link in the Library Based Retention Schedule area.
   8. Type "1" in the Amount of time field and change the Unit of time field to days.
   9. Change the Retention Action field to Permanently Delete.
   10. Click the OK button to save the stage property settings.
   11. Click the OK button to save the retention schedule for the library.

       Due to the shortest duration being one day, you cannot verify the Information Management Policy works as part of the lab. If you will have access to your SharePoint server for at least the next 24 hours, you can create or upload a new document into the library and verify it is deleted after the duration period has elapsed.