Setting Up Data Retention

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to set up Data Retention in Company Administration for Concur Travel.

Configure Data Retention

After the Data Retention is activated, the next step is to configure the feature. To learn more about the configuration process, review the following step-by-step procedure.

Steps

  1. On the Data Retention page, select Set up Data Retention.

    Screenshot of the SAP Concur web application showing the Data Retention page. A blue button labeled Set up Data Retention is highlighted with a yellow border. The navigation menu at the top includes Administration, Company, and Travel dropdown options

    Note

    These steps represent the experience of a client admin whose company uses Concur Travel supported by the Data Retention feature. For some client admins, this wizard might present more pages/steps, depending on the product they have. Please refer to Configuration | SAP Help Portal for further details.

  2. Select the retention period from the drop-down menu for the Travel Retention Period, and then select Next.

    Screenshot of the SAP Concur application on the Travel Retention Period setup page. The user is prompted to select a default retention period for data deletion, with 3 years chosen from a dropdown menu. A blue Next button, as well as a Cancel link, are visible, with both the dropdown and the Next button highlighted by yellow borders.

  3. Select the retention period from the drop-down menu for the Profile Data Retention Period and then select Next.

    Screenshot of the SAP Concur application displaying the Profile Data Retention Period setup page. The user can select a default retention period from a dropdown menu, which is set to 2 months. The dropdown and the blue Next button are both highlighted with yellow borders. Previous and Cancel options are also visible below the dropdown.

  4. On the Data Retention Summary page, verify the retention periods are accurate.

    If you need to make changes, select the edit link for the appropriate data type to edit.

    Note

    For customers who use both Employee Import and Data Retention, it is the responsibility of the customer to remove employee data from the Employee Import source files when user data is removed from the SAP Concur system by the Data Retention feature. For more detailed information, refer to How It Works | SAP Help Portal
    Screenshot of the SAP Concur application showing the Data Retention Summary page. The summary lists Travel with a retention period of 3 years and Profile Data with a retention period of 2 months; both sections are highlighted with yellow borders. There are options to edit each retention period on the right. At the bottom, there is a prompt to type William Never to confirm the settings, with Submit and Cancel buttons below the input box.

  5. Enter the required administrator's name and then select Submit to save.

    Screenshot of the SAP Concur application displaying the Data Retention Summary page. The summary shows Travel with a retention period of 3 years and Profile Data with a retention period of 2 months, with links to edit each retention period on the right. Below, there is a prompt to type William Never to confirm the settings, which is already filled in the text box outlined in yellow. The blue Submit button is highlighted, with a Cancel link next to it.

Result

The retention periods are saved, the mandatory 72-hour waiting period begins, and the administrator receives a confirmation email.

If new policies are added after Data Retention is configured, the tool will flag them and provide instructions as depicted in the following graphic. Select the arrow on the right side to see the information.

Screenshot showing two SAP Concur Data Retention settings screens. Both screens display a warning message at the top indicating Some policies do not have assigned retention period and are not active. The warning is highlighted in pink in the left screen and in yellow in the right screen. Below, both screens show options to pause all data deletion, details for Travel (3 years retention period), and Profile Data (2 months retention period), with options to edit retention periods. The right screen also includes extra explanatory text in the highlighted warning about retention periods, user policies, and configuration.

Data Retention Modifications

After the initial configuration is complete, the Data Retention page will include three tabs: Settings, Monitor, and Advanced.

The Settings tab of the Data Retention page includes the following options to update the configuration:

  1. Pause all data deletion
  2. Edit retention period: Travel
  3. Edit retention period: Profile Data

You can select the Pause all data deletion button to temporarily stop the data deletion process. Once the data deletion process is selected, the option Resume all data deletion will be available, and a message will be displayed at the top of the page as depicted in the following graphic.

Screenshot showing two versions of a Data Retention settings page, highlighting key features with numbered labels. The first image emphasizes the Pause all data deletion button (labeled 1), with dashed lines pointing to the second image, which highlights Travel (labeled 2) and Profile Data (labeled 3) sections. The screenshots include options for pausing data deletion, holding user data, and configuring retention periods.

If you need to edit a retention period, you can select the link for Travel or Profile Data. To modify itinerary data, select the Edit retention period: Travel link.

You can edit the default retention period or set custom retention periods per configuration using the Advanced link on the left. Be save your changes when you are finished. To learn more, review the following labeled graphic and corresponding table.

Screenshot showing two examples of Travel Retention Period settings pages. The first image displays the Default retention period tab with a dropdown menu to select retention duration (highlighted as 1) and Save/Cancel buttons. The second image shows the Custom retention period , highlighting entry fields for setting different retention periods for various entity names (marked as 2), a checkbox option Expanded Retention Timeframe, (highlighted as 3) and the Save button. Both images indicate Default and Advanced tabs at the top left.
SettingDescription
1. Default retention periodOn the Default page, edit the default retention period by updating the Retention Period field.
2. Custom retention periodOn the Advanced page, select the drop-down menu for each configuration to set custom retention periods.
3. Expanded Retention TimeframeSelect the checkbox to expand the number of years for data retention policies up to 30 years. This should only be used when countries require it.

Note

The retention periods for configurations override the default retention period.

If you need to edit the retention period for Profile Data, you can select the Edit retention period: Profile Data link. Be sure to save your changes after editing.

Screenshot of the Profile Data Retention Period settings page, showing a dropdown menu to select the default retention period (set to 2 months) and Save and Cancel buttons highlighted below. The description states that data will be deleted from Concur after the selected retention period.

The Monitor Tab

On the Monitor tab, you can review information about Data Retention, including Date, Resource, and Delete Count. Enter the date range in the Start Date to End Date field to review.

Screenshot of the Data Retention window in a software interface. A warning at the top indicates some policies do not have assigned retention periods. The Window tab is selected, and the interface displays a section to Review audit aggregation totals of record deletion counts. A date range field is highlighted, set to 2025/05/28 to 2025/06/04. Below, a table lists deletion data: Date (01-Jun-2025), Resource (UserProfile), and Delete Count (2).

The Advanced Tab

For time-specific options, select the Advanced tab.

Screenshot of the Data Retention page highlighting the Advanced tab. A warning at the top indicates that some policies do not have assigned retention periods and are not active. Under Company-wide Settings, options to select either Record Anniversary Date or Year End Date for the time scale are shown, along with Save and Cancel buttons at the bottom.
  • Record Anniversary Date
  • Year-End Date - The end of the year in which the data's date occurred

Note

Both options utilize the record's Anchor Date to determine its age.

The Hold User Functionality

A hold can be placed on a user to prevent the Data Retention feature from deleting any of their data. Admins can use the Hold User button in the user’s profile to preserve all data for that user, regardless of the Data Retention settings. This action takes effect immediately and does not require selecting Save.

Note

Only a Data Retention Administrator will see the Data Retention section on the admin side of the user’s Profile page.

To place a hold on data deletion, access the user’s profile from the User Administration page and then select the Hold User button in the Data Retention section. You’ll be asked to confirm the action in a pop-up window followed by another pop-up confirming the change. The same process applies to remove a hold. Review the following graphics as examples.

The following graphic is an example of activating the Hold User feature.

Screenshot sequence demonstrating how to place a non-employee user on hold in a software interface. The first image shows the Non-Employee Settings page with a highlighted Hold User button. The second image is a pop-up titled Hold User with a confirmation message asking if you want to pause migration or retention policies until the hold is removed, with Yes and No buttons. The third image is a confirmation pop-up titled Hold User stating User successfully placed on hold, with an OK button highlighted.

The following graphic is an example of removing the Hold User feature.

Screenshot sequence showing the process of removing a hold from a non-employee user in a software interface. The first image displays the Non-Employee Settings page with a highlighted Remove Hold button under Data Retention. The second image is a Hold User pop-up window asking for confirmation to remove the hold, warning that the user’s data will be processed and subject to retention policies, with Yes and No buttons. The third image is a confirmation pop-up stating User hold successfully removed, with an OK button highlighted.

Summary

  • Configure Data Retention: set Travel and Profile periods, verify summary, submit
  • Once the retention periods are saved, the mandatory 72-hour waiting period begins, and the administrator receives a confirmation email
  • Use Settings to pause/resume deletion, edit retention
  • Monitor tab shows Date, Resource, Delete Count by date range
  • Set advanced retention: default or per configuration; configuration retention period overrides a default one; you can extend retention up to 30 years
  • Choose a site-wide time basis: Record Anniversary or Year-End; both use the record anchor date
  • Hold a user from their profile to prevent deletion; immediate effect; only Data Retention Administrators see this section

Learning

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