In this chapter, we continue to explore configuring Information Protection within Microsoft 365. There will be an exercise that will require access to Microsoft 365 with Global Administration rights. If you have followed the exercises from the previous chapter, you should now have the relevant trial licenses; however, if you have not yet created this for Microsoft 365, please follow the instructions from Chapter 1, Preparing for Your Microsoft Exam and SC-400 Exam Objectives.

Creating and applying retention policies in Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive

Dedicated libraries for items and versions to hold called Preservation Hold libraries are utilized to apply retention in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business. This works the same for both OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online as they are both implemented with personal site collection. Preservation Hold libraries are only observable to site administrators as they are stored on the top level of sites.

A validation is made on content if you try to make any changes or delete a document that has retention settings applied to it regardless of whether content has been amended since the retention settings were applied. When the first modification since the retention settings were applied is made, the data is duplicated to the Preservation Hold library. This then enables the individual to amend or delete the original data that is stored in the original document library.

Preservation Hold libraries are cleaned up by a timer job. All data in the Preservation Hold library is compared during the job to all the queries that are utilized by the retention settings for that data. Any content that is older than the retention period that has been configured is deleted from the Preservation Hold library; however, the initial location is not deleted and can still be accessed. It can take up to 7 days for the content to be deleted, which is due to the timer job running every 7 days.

You get this type of conduct on content that exists when the retention settings were originally applied, as well as for retention policies for new data that is added to the site collection when it is incorporated in the policy, and means that information will be retained once deleted. New data, on the other hand, is not copied to the Preservation Hold library when it is initially modified, but it is once it has been deleted. If you wish to keep all versions of a file separate from the retention settings, then you can utilize the versioning feature.

If a user attempts to delete a list, library, folder, or site that is part of a retention policy then they will get an error. They can get around this when trying to delete a folder if they move or delete the files that are stored in the folder that are part of the retention policy first. It is at this stage that the Preservation Hold library is created, rather than when the retention policy is created or when the label is applied.

So far in this section of the chapter, we have introduced the concept of retention policies in Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive. We will now discuss Preservation Hold Library functionality and how this interacts with retention policies.

Preservation Hold Library functionality

In Figure 11.1, you can see how files are treated in SharePoint Online libraries if Preservation hold libraries are utilized:

Figure 11.1 – SharePoint Online behavior with Preservation Hold

The preceding diagram shows the process flow with both first-stage and second-stage recycle bins through to permanent deletion as well as the retention periods, which allows you to see how long the process roughly takes.

There are two different process flows indicated by the and the in the diagram:

  • When content is amended or deleted during the retention period:

a. Retain and delete: The original data is copied in the state it was in when the retention policy was designated and is created in the Preservation Hold library. Data is identified by the timer job where, when its retention period has expired, it is transferred to the second-stage recycle bin, where it is permanently deleted.

b. Retain-only: The original data is duplicated and created in the Preservation Hold library, where it is then held up to the end of the retention period. At this point, the duplicate content is then shifted to the second-stage recycle bin, where it is permanently deleted once the 93 days has passed.

c. Delete-only: The content is shifted to the first-stage recycle bin. If the recycle bin is emptied, the content is then migrated to the second-stage recycle bin. It is important to note that the 93-day retention period that is shown in the diagram stretches across both the first-stage and second-stage recycle bins. Once the 93 days has passed, the content is permanently deleted regardless of which recycle bin it resides in. In the scenario where the data is edited during the configured period, it will adhere to the same deletion path after the configured period.

  • When content is not edited or deleted during the retention period:

a. Retain and delete: Content is shifted to the first-stage recycle bin once the retention period has come to an end. In the scenario where a user deletes data or purges the recycle bin, the content is migrated to the second-stage recycle bin. The 93-day retention period stretches across both stages and once it has passed, the data is permanently deleted from whichever recycle bin it currently lives in. Please note that the recycle bin is not indexed, which means you cannot run a search for data that resides in either stage.

b. Retain-only: The document stays in the original location before and after the retention period. Essentially, nothing happens.

c. Delete-only: When the retention policy’s configured period has passed, the content is shifted to the first-stage recycle bin. If a user deletes content or purges the recycle bin, that content is shifted to the second-stage recycle bin. At the end of the 93-day retention period (which stretches across both stages), the content is deleted permanently from wherever it currently resides. Please note that the recycle bin is not indexed, which means you cannot run a search for data that resides in either stage.

You should understand Preservation Hold libraries and how these interact with retention policies. We will now take a look at how retention with document versioning works.

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