Create and schedule retention tasks
Scheduler task guide
Apply a deliberate retention policy to operational data and logs.
Create a retention taskDirect link to Create a retention task
Select retentionDirect link to Select retention
Create a retention task in Scheduler and save it to reveal the cleanup settings.
Keep only the data you needDirect link to Keep only the data you need
Enable the cleanup areas you need and set a separate number of days for system, job, and auditing data. Configure the most-recent-system-data safeguard and log-file limits as needed.
The screenshot shows example values of 7 days for system data, 30 days for job data, and 365 days for auditing data. Choose values that match your operational and compliance requirements.
Verify the first cleanupDirect link to Verify the first cleanup
Save the task, configure its Schedule, and run it in a suitable maintenance window. Use History to review the first result and confirm the policy removed only the intended data.
Retention settingsDirect link to Retention settings
Each cleanup toggle controls its own type of data. When enabled, the corresponding Number of days determines the age after which that data is removed on the next task run.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cleanup system data | Deletes collected system data older than its configured number of days. |
| Never delete most recent system data | Keeps the most recent system data even if it is older than the system-data retention period. This helps preserve a current usable collection when a system has not been collected recently. |
| Cleanup job data | Deletes execution data older than its configured number of days. This includes data from mappings, group memberships, and synchronization tasks. |
| Cleanup auditing data | Deletes audit data older than its configured number of days, including recorded changes and updates to target-system objects. Review this period before relying on auditing queries or an Audit App for historical investigations. |
| Log files settings | Enables the log-file rotation limits below. |
| Maximum log file size (MB) | Sets the maximum size of each log file before rotation. The screenshot shows 100 MB as an example. |
| Number of log files | Sets the maximum number of log files retained. When that limit is reached, the oldest log file is overwritten. The screenshot shows 10 as an example. |
Turn off a cleanup toggle to leave that data category out of this retention task. The Schedule tab controls when cleanup runs, and the History tab shows previous runs.
Use the NIST Privacy Framework when balancing investigation needs against keeping personal data longer than necessary. Set each retention period with the data owner, verify required legal or operational holds, and test the first cleanup before scheduling it broadly. Deleting NIM's audit data also removes history available to auditing queries and the Audit App.Related training videosDirect link to Related training videos