Record retention and exporting your data

See how long CompanionAxis keeps each kind of record, stop deletion with a legal hold, and download a full export of your organisation’s data.

Before you begin

• To see retention: compliance.retention.view. To run deletions or place holds: compliance.retention.configure.
• To export everything: settings.data.export_all (Administrators have it).

Check retention periods

1. Go to Settings → Security and privacy and find the Data retention card.
2. Select Manage. The privacy page opens on Retention and deletion.
3. Read Retention periods: each category shows what happens (deleted or anonymised), how long after which date, and whether it runs automatic weekly, is paused, or is reviewed by hand.

For Australia most categories (participant records, progress notes, incidents, worker, payroll and financial records, the audit log) are kept 7 years; referrals that didn’t proceed 2 years. Periods are never shorter than the legal minimum for your jurisdiction; check your own legal obligations.

Preview or run a deletion

1. On a category that runs automatically, select Dry run. It lists what would be deleted and deletes nothing.
2. Check the result in Deletion runs: how many records were found, deleted and kept under a hold.
3. Select Run now only when you are sure. Each deleted record is written to the deletion log.

Place a legal hold

1. Open the Legal holds tab and select Place a hold.
2. Enter a Name, a Reason (at least 10 characters) and the Matter or case reference.
3. Select Place hold. Nothing it covers is deleted by retention.
4. When the matter ends, select Release, say Why it can be released, and confirm it’s you.

Export all your data

1. Go to Settings → Security and privacy and find the Your data card.
2. Select Export all organisation data, then Start export, and confirm it’s you.
3. Copy the archive password shown in Export started. It won’t be shown again. Select I have stored the password.
4. Wait while it shows Building. You also get an email when it is Ready.
5. Select the download icon. The link works for 7 days and only for the person who started the export.

If you cancel your subscription you can still export for 90 days. See Managing your subscription and active users.

Tips

• For a single list (for example users or invoices), use the export on that list instead of a full export.
• Developers can also pull data through Settings → API and webhooks if your plan includes the API.
• Exports are recorded in the audit log.

If something goes wrong

The Export all organisation data button is missing

Your role lacks the data export permission. Ask an Administrator.

The export shows Requester only

Only the person who started an export can download it. Ask them, or start a new export yourself.

The export shows Expired

Download links last 7 days. Start a new export.

Records you expected to be deleted are still there

Check Legal holds for an active hold, and whether the category is paused or reviewed by hand.