Delete Batch Tool

The Delete Batch Advanced tool allows users to purge an Org’s data. The user uploads a CSV list of IDs, which creates a batch to be purged. Purging records unblocks many of the migration processes and is usually used when you are re-importing information, or when you are removing test data. 

Note: The Delete Batch tool deletion is permanent. Any data deleted using this tool is immediately unrecoverable. The Undelete Advanced tool cannot be used to recover this data. Use this tool with caution. 

• Navigate
• Create a Batch
• Scheduled Batches
• View Batch Details

Navigate

The Delete Batch Advanced tool is available for users upon request. Permission for the Delete Batch tool can be granted in the Advanced Access tab. A user must be an Org Admin to gain access to the Delete Batch tool.

To navigate to the tool, click the main menu, and select Advanced from the dropdown. Select Delete Batch in the left side menu. Using the dropdown at the top of the page, select the Org where you’d like to delete data.

Create a Batch

To create a batch, you must upload a CSV spreadsheet with the data you want to delete, in the correct format. (If you are working in an Excel spreadsheet, or a Google sheet, you can export the file to a CSV.) Download the template batch map in the top right corner to help you create your own batch map. 

The spreadsheet must contain the recordID, followed by the deletion type, for each record you want to delete. This data must be in two columns—any data beyond two columns will be ignored. The deletion type should be entered as it’s listed in the subsequent bulleted list. 

The Delete Batch tool handles the following deletion types:

• Project: uses ProjectID as the RecordID and deletes all projects and associated data, except for contacts
• Note: uses Note ID as the RecordID and deletes all listed notes
• Document: uses Document ID as RecordID, and deletes all listed documents
• ProjectNotification: uses Project ID as the RecordID, and deletes notifications that come through the activity feed, like reminders, for any of the listed projects

Note: The deletion type must be the same across the batch. You cannot include some Project IDs for the project deletion type and other for the project notification deletion type.

When your data is formatted in a CSV file, click Upload CSV and select that file to create the batch.

Batch Size Limitations and Best Practices

To ensure the file can be uploaded successfully, keep batches below 100K rows. A CSV near this threshold typically takes 60-90 seconds to upload and around 24 hours to purge from the dev environment.

A project deletion type batch can include up to 25K documents. If the batch has more than 25K documents, we suggest you split the batch into multiple batches of less than 25k documents and then upload those CSV files.

Scheduled Batches

Once a batch is created, it appears in the batch list in the tool, with a “Scheduled Date” 30 days from when the batch was created. 

If you take no further action, then the batch will be deleted on that scheduled date. If you’d like to delete the batch sooner, click Delete next to the batch to queue it for deletion in the next 24 hours.

If you would like to cancel the batch, click Cancel. The batch remains listed in the table as a record for reference with the status Canceled.

Retry Batches

If a recordID is in an active batch, that recordID cannot be included in another batch. Depending on the status of the first batch the recordID is present in, the recordID:

• Created: will not save to batch because it is in an active batch
• Completed: will not save to batch because the code will try to see if the record currently exists in the database
• Error: will save to new batch, allowing for retries on new batches if needed
• Processing: need to add code to prevent uploading the same if OG is processing
• Canceled: saves to a new batch

View Batch Details

Select a created batch from the list to view the batch’s details. In the right hand flyout, you can see the following: 

• Batch Name: the name of the uploaded CSV file
• Batch ID:  a unique ID for the batch generated upon its creation
• Requested By: the username of the user who added the batch

• Requested Date: when the batch was created
• Status: the stage of the purge process
  • Scheduled: When a batch is created, it is initially scheduled for 30 days from the day the batch was created. When the "DELETE" action is taken on a scheduled batch, then the batch is scheduled for the next nightly purge.
  • Completed: When the batch is processed, the records are purged for the org.
  • Canceled: When the scheduled batch is canceled, the batch is stopped, and the records are not purged. A canceled batch cannot be scheduled. The user will need to re-upload a CSV for those records.
• Scheduled Date: when the batch will be picked up for purging
• Processed Date: when the batch was purged
• Counts:
  • Completed Records: the number of records purged
  • Processing Records: the number of records being processed currently
  • Errored Records: the number of records with errors
  • Percentage Completed: the percentage of records that have been purged