GDPR Deletion & Retention Periods
GDPR Deletion & Retention Periods
The GDPR demands both: keep documents as long as legal retention periods run — and delete personal data as soon as the purpose no longer applies. In practice that often means: parts of a document have to go while the rest must stay. That is exactly what we automate in DocuWare — down to the targeted deletion of individual ID documents from scanned contract packages, after the retention period ends and fully automatically.
How automatic deletion works
Deletion by retention periods — automatic
Retention and deletion periods are defined per document type — for example via document date, contract end or dedicated deadline fields. Once expired, the automation deletes reliably and regularly: no reminders, no manual combing through the archive, no forgetting.
Surgical instead of sweeping
The special feature of our solution: deletion does not stop at document level. Individual parts of a scanned package can be removed selectively — the contract remains completely intact, the attached ID document disappears. You meet deletion obligations without touching records you are required to keep.
Proven in international use
We implemented exactly this for a large self-storage provider operating across several countries: after the retention period ends, passports, driver’s licenses and ID cards are deleted automatically from the scanned contract packages — the rest of the contract file remains unchanged in the archive.
Traceable for your data protection officer
The deletion rules are documented, the deletion runs are logged. Your data protection officer gets what they need: an implemented deletion concept instead of a declaration of intent — and proof of what was deleted when, under which rule.
Four steps to an implemented deletion concept
From concept to automatic deletion runs — together with your data protection officer.
Deletion concept
Which document types, which periods, what stays, what goes — we capture the rules together with you and your data protection officer.
Rules & automation
The periods are mapped in DocuWare and the deletion automation is set up — at document or component level.
Test run
Verified on real content: what would be deleted, what remains?
Regular operation
Deletion runs automatically and logged — and adapts when periods or the legal situation change.
At a glance
- Automatic deletion by retention periods
- Individual parts of scanned packages as well
- The contract file stays — ID documents disappear
- Productive at a cross-border self-storage provider
- Rules definable per document type
- Logged deletion runs as proof
Frequently asked questions
Why is manual deletion not enough?
Because it does not work reliably at real document volumes: periods expire at different times, nobody regularly combs through the whole archive, and without a log there is no proof. Automation deletes on time, completely and documented.
Can only parts of a document be deleted?
Yes — that is the strength of the solution: the ID pages (passport, driver’s license, ID card) are removed from a scanned contract package while the contract, which must be retained, remains completely intact.
How do we define the right periods?
In the deletion concept — together with you and ideally your data protection officer: per document type and, for international companies, per country. We then implement the rules technically in DocuWare.
Is the deletion provable?
Yes — deletion runs are logged: what, when, under which rule. That lets you demonstrate to data subjects and authorities that your deletion concept is actually lived.
Implement your deletion concept now
Bring your retention periods — we will show you what automatic deletion looks like in your archive.
Contact us now