Data retention manager
The “Data Retention manager” tool allows you to create rules for automatic deletion or anonymization of data after a specific timeframe. Once these rules are applied, the data will be permanently deleted or anonymized according to your settings.
Automating data processing can be highly beneficial for data management. Manually tracking responses can be a tedious task, but the “Data Retention Manager” tool provides an ideal solution by automating this process for you. Additionally, Insocial offers helpful suggestions when configuring these rules, further streamlining your workflow.
This feature is not recommended for beginners. Please read the explanation and instructions carefully, and be aware of the potential consequences before proceeding.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our Customer Success Management team.
Anonymization vs. Permanent deletion of data
Anonymization
Why choosing anonymization over permanent deletion? By anonymizing data, the conversion numbers are still available in your reports and won’t affect the results and scores.
Please note that anonymized data can’t be recovered.
Permanent deletion
Why choosing permanent deletion over anonymization? If data is no longer needed, choose permanent deletion to make sure this data won’t affect your report scores and results.
Please note that the data will be deleted forever, data recovery is not possible.
Different Data Retention Manager rule types
When configuring Data Retention Manager rules, there are four distinct activation methods: ‘Invites’, ‘Response’, ‘Metadata’, and ‘Question’. For all methods, you must select a survey to which the rule will apply and define a duration.
However, the setup process for ‘Metadata’ and ‘Question’ differs from that of ‘Invites’ and ‘Response’. Please ensure you follow the specific instructions for each method to correctly configure your data retention rules.
Variable | Use when you want to… |
|---|---|
Invites | Delete or anonymize invites of a survey or multiple surveys after a specific time period. Never delete or anonymize invite data within the deduplication period set in the survey's rules. |
Response | Delete or anonymize responses of a survey or multiple surveys after a specific time period. |
Metadata | Delete or anonymize responses that come with specific metadata after a given time period. Deleting metadata can affect your reporting. If you use specific metadata fields in your reports, we recommend retaining them for a longer period. |
Question | Delete or anonymize a question from a survey after a specific time period. |
Instructions
Make sure you have selected ‘Invites’.
Create a new rule by clicking the
-button on the right-hand side of the screen.
Optional: At the top of the rule creation screen, Insocial provides some suggestions. Click on ‘Apply Rule’ to automatically copy the suggested settings.
Select the survey to which you want to apply this rule.
Define the time period for the rule to be activated.
Choose whether to delete or anonymize the invites.
Once everything is configured correctly, click on the ‘Save settings’ button.
Make sure you have selected ‘Response’.
Create a new rule by clicking the
Optional: At the top of the rule creation screen, Insocial provides some suggestions. Click on ‘Apply Rule’ to automatically copy the suggested settings.
Select the survey to which you want to apply this rule.
Define the time period for the rule to be activated.
Choose whether to delete or anonymize the response.
Once everything is configured correctly, click on the ‘Save settings’ button.
Make sure you have selected ‘Metadata’.
Create a new rule by clicking the
Select the survey to which you want to apply this rule.
Define the time period for the rule to be activated.
Choose whether to delete or anonymize the data and specify the metadata to which this rule should apply.
Once everything is configured correctly, click on the ‘Save settings’ button.
Make sure you have selected ‘Response’.
Create a new rule by clicking the
Select the survey to which you want to apply this rule.
Define the time period for the rule to be activated.
Choose whether you want to delete or anonymize each question in the selected survey.
Once everything is configured correctly, click on the ‘Save settings’ button.