Updated July 08, 2022: We are updating this post as a reminder that we will begin rolling this out next week.
To improve the consistency of experience and performance, any file with multiple versions that is deleted from SharePoint or OneDrive which is preserved to the Preservation Hold Library (due to its applicable retention label, retention policies or eDiscovery holds) will now be retained as a single file containing its full version history, rather than each version being retained as individual files as has been the case until now.
We are pleased to confirm that rollout of this feature (originally announced in MC288633 October ’21) is now unblocked and will begin in mid-July 2022.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 82062.
SharePoint Online items with multiple versions and a retention label now move to the Preservation Hold Library as a single file containing all versions when deleted.
When this will happen
Table of Contents
Rollout is scheduled to begin in mid-July and complete by the end of August.
How this will affect your organization
This update changes the behavior of deleted files that are set to be retained, and that have multiple versions of the file. They will be retained in the Preservation Hold Library as a single file with all versions as part of its version history just like they exist before being deleted. Previously, each version was retained individually as a separate file.
This change affects your ability to search those versions in eDiscovery. It provides consistency for eDiscovery searches regardless of whether the file has been deleted or not, searching only the last version of it by default rather than getting multiple matches for versions in between them.
If you have query-based holds configured in eDiscovery, there will be a change to how retained files are searched and retained as outlined above. For more information on query-based holds, please visit: Create eDiscovery holds in a Core eDiscovery case.
These changes do not impact the retention or deletion of your content or cause any changes to your retention labels or policies, all versions are still being kept, just as part of the version history of the file.
What you need to do to prepare
No action is needed to enable this change; however, you may want to communicate this change to your users or team responsible for eDiscovery, Information Governance and Records Management at your organization.
Learn more
- Microsoft 365 Docs > Understand retaining and deleting data > Learn about retention for SharePoint and OneDrive
Message ID: MC394512
Published: 21 June 2022
Updated: 08 July 2022
Alex Lim
Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook
