Project Archiving and Data Retention

In Wordbee Translator, project data is managed through an automated lifecycle that includes archiving, offloading, and data retention. Projects that remain inactive are first archived and moved to cold storage to optimize platform performance. After an extended period of inactivity defined by your subscription plan, projects are permanently deleted in accordance with the data retention policy.

This article explains how each stage works and what actions you can take to manage your project data.

Purpose of project archiving

The primary purpose of project archiving is to make sure people and processes operate smoothly. This solution aims at:

• Managing storage space efficiently.

• Optimizing system performance.

• Organizing project lists.

• Ensuring transparency and compliance.

• Supporting business analytics.

• Facilitating training and reference for new team members.

Archiving and offloading projects

Best practices prior to archival

Before archiving and moving a project to cold storage, make sure any relevant information in the project is kept online for later reference:

1. Run the consolidation of the Project Memory into a master memory, so it can be further referenced in other projects. Otherwise, the translations in that project can't be reused once the memory is offloaded.

2. Make sure the files and deliverables are available in the related order. When the client portal is enabled, the translations are handed over to the end client in the respective order.

Both points above can be addressed in the existing project management processes (which can be automated or run manually). Learn more about the options available in the following articles:

Consolidation of Project Memories to Master

Workflow template (Automation options for orders)

Automatic archival

The automation in place for archival and offloading is scheduled during regular intervals. Here is where to find the details for your platform and subscription plan:

• Inside the License and Usage page, you will find all the details related to the File Storage.

• Project archival and offloading can occur automatically if they meet specific conditions (see listed criteria).

Criteria for automatic archival and offloading

1. The project status remains 'archived' or 'canceled' for a defined dormancy period (SLA plan dependent).

2. The dormancy period for automatic archival varies from one month to a full year, depending on the SLA plan.

3. The dormancy period for automatic offloading varies from one week to one month, as specified in the SLA plan.

4. Any changes made to an 'archived' or 'canceled' project will reset the dormancy period.

For questions about SLA plans or dormancy periods, contact the Wordbee Team for assistance.

Manual archival

Administrative users have the flexibility to manually trigger the archival and offloading of individual projects. Here's how:

1. Navigate to the Project details page.

2. In the 'More' section, locate the dedicated option for 'Project archival'.

3. Click on 'Offload data' to initiate the archival process.

Please note that, after offloading, project files are no longer available online, but many project sections remain accessible. Archival and offloading actions are recorded in the project's status history for reference.

Managing projects

Listing offloaded projects

To determine which projects are offloaded and which remain online, users can utilize filters on the main Project page. These filters are also useful for locating specific files within a project, regardless of their offloaded status.

Searching files within offloaded projects

The filtering options in Wordbee Translator make it easy to search for files within offloaded projects, enhancing efficiency in retrieving essential data.

Restoring offloaded projects

To bring an offloaded project back online, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the 'Project Details' page and open the 'More' section or click on the 'Click to continue' link in the red banner.

2. Click the option 'Click to restore data'.

3. The project will be restored entirely to the online platform, making files and deliverables accessible once again.

Data retention and deletion

In addition to archiving and offloading, Wordbee Translator enforces a data retention policy based on your subscription plan. After a project has been inactive beyond the allowed retention period, it is permanently deleted from the platform. This process is fully automated and irreversible once completed.

How data retention works

Each subscription plan defines a maximum retention period, measured from the project's last used date:

When a project has been inactive longer than the allowed period, the system flags it for deletion. The deletion process follows these steps:

1. The system identifies projects whose last used date exceeds the retention period.

2. A warning email is sent 30 days before the scheduled deletion date.

3. The project data is archived as a zip file and made available for download.

4. A final email is sent 1 day before deletion, with a link to the Archived Projects page where you can download the data.

5. The project and all associated data are permanently deleted.

What triggers the last used date

The following actions update a project's last used date and reset the retention countdown:

• Marking a file online or offline

• Adding a job

• Adding an invoice

• Changing the project status (except changing to Archived)

• Flex transactions

• Beebox transactions

• CMS integration events

Note

Project templates are protected from automatic deletion, regardless of their last used date. If a project is used as a template, it will not be flagged for deletion.

How you are notified

Two email notifications are sent to platform administrators before a project is deleted.

First email (30 days before deletion):

Lists all projects scheduled for deletion, including each project's ID, reference, last used date, and project manager. Each project includes an Access Project link so you can open it directly and take action to keep it active.

Second email (1 day before deletion):

Lists the same projects with their scheduled deletion date and time. The email includes a link to the Archived Projects page under My Company, where you can download the archived project data before it is permanently removed.

Tip

To prevent a project from being deleted, open it from the first email and perform any qualifying activity (such as adding a job or updating project details) before the deletion date. This resets the last used date and restarts the retention period.

Downloading archived project data

Before permanent deletion, each project is archived as a zip file. You can download these files from the Archived Projects tab under My Company.

The page lists all archived project files with their file name (using the format p-[project ID].zip), file size, and creation date. Use the Download all button to download all files at once, or select individual files.

What gets deleted

When a project reaches the end of its retention period and is permanently deleted, the following data is removed:

• Projects and jobs, including all dependent database records

• Search index data (segments and translations)

• All associated files

This action is irreversible. Make sure to download any data you need before the deletion date.

Tracking the last used date

The Last used date column can be added to the project list to monitor when each project was last active. You can also use it as a filter to find projects approaching their retention limit.

To add the column, use the column configuration options in the project list view.

Benefits of project archiving

With project archival, offloading, and data retention, users benefit from:

1. Managing storage space
   Efficiently manage available space in the platform, with the option to manually recover offloaded projects as needed. Additional storage can be purchased if required.

2. Optimizing system performance
   Maximize system performance for daily activities by optimizing the use of online storage resources.

3. Organizing project lists
   Maintain an up-to-date overview of your project list by archiving old projects and simplifying project management.

4. Ensuring transparency and compliance
   Comply with data retention policies and ISO standards. Access to archived files and data supports accountability for decisions made during project lifecycles.

5. Supporting business analytics
   Keep essential data online, enabling the business analytics module to retrieve information for long-term reporting and analysis.

6. Facilitating training and reference
   Utilize archived project material for training purposes or as a point of reference, aiding new projects and team members in understanding project specifics.

Learn More

• Project Management: Learn about managing projects, including status changes and workflows.

• Consolidation of Project Memories to Master: Consolidate project translations into a master memory before archiving.

• Workflow template (Automation options for orders): Configure automated workflows for orders, including post-completion actions.