How do I enforce multi-country retention rules across 35+ jurisdictions?

Data Retention policies are metadata-driven, not hard-coded. Store retention schedules in a Salesforce custom object (Retention_Policy__c) with fields for country, object type, years-to-retain. Data Retention evaluates rules dynamically on every deletion cycle. Add a new country? Add a new policy record. No code change required.

Does Data Retention ever execute without manual approval?

Yes. Deletion rules run on schedule with no approval gate. You set the rule, and it executes. This is the automation value. If your compliance process requires approval before deletion, configure a Cloud Flow that queues deletions for approval before Data Retention executes.

How is Data Retention different from building my own Apex deletion script?

You can build a deletion script. One customer was 2 years into their custom build when they found Data Retention and deployed in 2 weeks. Custom scripts require: cascade logic (which you probably get wrong), governor-limit handling (which is tedious), audit trail logging (which is laborious), and ongoing maintenance when Salesforce releases updates. Data Retention is the production-hardened version of that script.

Technical Deep Dive

How Data Retention Manager Works

Q: What if a running contract blocks deletion of a Contact?

Data Retention can respect business rules. Configure the policy: 'Delete Contact after 3 years, UNLESS Contract_Status__c = Active.' When a Contract is active, the Contact stays. When the Contract closes, the Contact is eligible for deletion on the next cycle. Or: anonymise the Contact while keeping the Contract.

Policy-based lifecycle rules. Cascade-aware deletion. Governor-limit-safe batching. Full audit trail. Here is exactly what happens during a Data Retention run.

The Retention Pipeline

From policy configuration to auditable deletion

Configure

Define retention policies per object

Set rules like 'Delete Cases 3 years after Close Date' or 'Anonymise Leads 1 year after creation.' Policies are stored in Salesforce custom objects (metadata-driven, not hard-coded). Pre-built templates for standard objects: Accounts, Contacts, Cases, Opportunities.

Evaluate

Records assessed against retention rules

On schedule, Data Retention evaluates every in-scope record against your policies. Records past their retention period are flagged for deletion. Records with active contracts, litigation holds, or other business rules are excluded automatically.

Cascade Check

Related records inspected before deletion

Before deleting a parent record, Data Retention inspects all related child records. Master-Detail relationships are handled correctly. Cascade logic prevents orphaning business data.

Delete the Contact but anonymise the related Case
Keep the Contract while it's active, hold the Contact deletion in queue
Delete Cases but preserve Opportunity records linked to open Contracts

Execute

Batch deletion with governor-limit safety

Deletions execute in safe batch sizes within Salesforce's 10,000-row DML limit. Related records are updated atomically. No cascading transaction failures. Progress is tracked throughout the run.

Audit

Every deletion logged with full chain of custody

Every deletion is logged to a Salesforce custom object (Deletion_Audit_Log__c): record ID, object type, deletion timestamp, user/system, business rule triggered, field values before deletion, and deletion status. Exportable to PDF or CSV for regulator submission.

Under the Hood

What Data Retention does in each phase

Set policy-based retention rules in the UI

Using Data Retention's declarative rule builder, you configure retention schedules for every object that stores personal or regulated data. Rules are metadata-driven: store schedules in a Salesforce custom object (Retention_Policy__c) with fields for country, object type, and years-to-retain. Add a new country or regulation? Add a new policy record. No code change required.

A global manufacturing enterprise manages 35 countries across 5 Salesforce orgs this way. Each jurisdiction's retention schedule is a policy record, evaluated dynamically on every deletion cycle.

Cascade-aware deletion respects business relationships

Deleting a Contact in Salesforce can blow away Cases, Contracts, and Opportunities if you're not careful. Data Retention respects Master-Detail relationships and custom cascade logic. Delete the Contact. Anonymise the Case. Keep the Contract while it's active. The cascade is handled correctly.

Financial services companies use this pattern for running loan applications: 'Delete Contact after 3 years, UNLESS Contract_Status__c = Active.' When a Contract is active, the Contact stays. When the Contract closes, the Contact is eligible for deletion on the next cycle.

Governor-limit-safe batch processing

Salesforce has a 10,000-row DML limit per transaction. Deleting 100,000 old records requires careful batching. Data Retention chunks deletions into safe batch sizes, updates related records atomically, and prevents cascading transaction failures that custom Apex scripts struggle with.

Custom Apex scripts frequently hit governor limits on large orgs. Data Retention handles the batching, retry logic, and progress tracking automatically.

Litigation hold exempts records from deletion

When a legal hold is active, affected records must be exempted from all deletion rules regardless of their retention period. Data Retention supports litigation hold flags that freeze records in place until the hold is released. No records are deleted while under hold.

This prevents the scenario where an automated deletion job destroys evidence that legal counsel has placed under preservation order.

360-degree audit trail for regulators

Every deletion is logged: timestamp, user, business rule triggered, record state before deletion. Auditors ask 'Show me proof you deleted this data.' You show the audit log. No spreadsheets. No ambiguity. Full chain of custody.

The audit trail exports to PDF or CSV for regulator submission. Every deletion has a traceable business justification recorded in the log.

Architecture

100% inside your Salesforce org

Data Retention is a managed package. Every component (policy UI, deletion engine, and audit trail) runs inside your Salesforce org as native Apex. No external infrastructure. No data leaves your environment.

Salesforce Org

Data Retention Managed Package

Policy Configuration UI

Lightning / Visualforce

Declarative rule builder for configuring retention schedules per object, per country. No Apex required for standard policy configurations.

Retention Rules Engine

Custom Objects + Custom Settings

Retention policies, cascade logic, and deletion schedules stored natively in Salesforce Custom Objects: queryable, auditable, and backed up with your org metadata.

Deletion Engine + Audit Trail

Apex Batch Processing

All deletion execution, batch processing, cascade handling, and audit logging runs as managed Apex code within your org. No external compute. No outbound data movement.

Salesforce Batch Apex processes deletions in governor-limit-safe chunks across all in-scope objects

Metadata-driven policy engine evaluates retention rules dynamically: no hard-coded deletion logic

Audit trail logged to Salesforce custom objects: exportable, queryable, and part of your org's backup strategy

Your Options

Data Retention vs the alternatives

How Data Retention compares to custom Apex deletion scripts and manual admin processes.

Dimension	Data Retention	DIY (custom Apex)	Manual Process
Data security	Secure: data never leaves Salesforce	Uncertain: depends on implementation	Secure but error-prone
Development effort	Hours: declarative policy setup	Weeks/months: custom Apex cascade logic	N/A: manual effort each cycle
Cascade logic	Built-in: respects Master-Detail relationships	Custom: must build and maintain	None: admin deletes manually
Audit trail	Automatic: every deletion logged	Custom: must build logging	None: no audit trail
Governor limits	Handled: safe batch processing	Common failure point	N/A: manual row-by-row
Ongoing maintenance	Hours: add new policy records	Days: update Apex code	Weeks: manual quarterly effort

Technical Specifications

Retention policy types

Time-based, event-based, conditional

Cascade handling

Master-Detail and custom relationships

Litigation hold

Supported: freeze records under legal hold

Multi-country support

35+ jurisdictions per org

Multi-org support

Hub-and-spoke across multiple Salesforce orgs

Object types

All standard + custom Salesforce objects

Audit trail

Every deletion logged with full chain of custody

Storage reduction

40-70% by removing obsolete records

Governor-limit safety

Batch processing within 10K DML limit

Deployment method

Managed package via AppExchange

Implementation time

2-3 weeks typical

Release quality

107 regression tests, 240 hours testing per release

Frequently Asked Questions

See Data Retention run on your multi-org setup

30-minute technical demo. We show you how retention rules work across orgs, how cascade logic handles complex relationships, and how the audit trail satisfies regulators.

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