User Guide

April 2024

Introduction

This user guide describes the Purge feature in the Fleet Management Application. It is intended to be used by Database Administrators, and outlines how to use the feature, the categories for purge and retention time periods, as well as any frequently asked questions.

Product information

In certain situations, it may be necessary to purge data from your database. The Purge feature allows you to permanently delete certain types of data, including private data, at specific time intervals. With this feature, you can set up to 20 purge schedules.

✱ NOTE: For newly created databases, the default purge frequency is set to two years for all the data categories. This is enabled by default.

Getting started

Purge settings can only be modified by the company-wide Administrators. To access this feature, ensure you are using the Administrator user type.

Using the Purge feature

1. From the main menu, navigate to System > Settings.
2. Under the Purge tab, enable the Routinely purge older data toggle to turn On the purge settings.



3. Click the Add purge schedule button to set a purge schedule for a Group, then select the schedule to expand purge settings.



4. Select the Group for purge from the dropdown menu.



5. Select how long you want to keep each data type. When the selected time period passes, the data will be permanently deleted.
6. Click Save. A popup displays to confirm the data being removed.
7. Confirm the new purge settings by entering your password.



8. Click the Enable button. After you enable a purge, all the Administrators on your database receive a notification.

Defining purge categories

In the Fleet Management Application, purge and data retention time periods can be decided for each of the categories:

1. Driving data and Exceptions data
2. Fuel Transactions data
3. HOS data
4. Asset Inspection data
5. Personal Trip data

Driving data and Exceptions data

The following components will be deleted under this category:

6. 1. GpsData
   2. TripsData
   3. StatusData
   4. FaultData
   5. BinaryData
   6. ExceptionEventData
   7. DriverChangeData
   8. DebugData
   9. NotificationData – Related data is deleted more frequently, not just in the purge.
   10. BinaryMessageData
   11. TextMessageData
   12. Notification – Notification and NotificationData refers to system notification logs.
   13. ZoneData
   14. RouteData
   15. TrailerAttachmentData

   ✱ NOTE: Please visit our Product Guide for more information regarding these components.

   Fuel Transactions data

   Only the FuelTransaction component will be deleted.

   ✱ NOTE: Fuel based Status Data will not be purged with this category.

   HOS data

   The following components will be deleted under this category:

1. DutyStatusLogs
2. ShipmentLogData
3. AnnotationLogData

✱ NOTE: If the database contains HOS or Asset Inspection data, the system now requires a matching retention schedule for the following three categories: Driving Data & Exceptions data, HOS data, and Asset Inspection data.

Asset Inspection data

Only the DVIRLogs component will be deleted.

✱ NOTE: This was previously known as DVIR.

Private data

Only the Private data component will be deleted.

✱ NOTE: This applies if trips are considered private, or some trip data and log records are documented during private trips.

Retention length

Each category has different options for retention length.

6. Driving data and Exceptions data – 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, or 8 years.
7. Fuel Transactions data – 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, or 8 years.
8. HOS data – 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, 10 months, 11 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, or 8 years.
9. Asset Inspection data – 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, or 8 years.
10. Personal Trip data – 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, 10 months, 11 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, or 8 years.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: We have enabled the purge feature through the UI, and a date is displayed next to the purge schedule. What is this date?

A: When the purge is initially enabled, the first purge is set up to start in 7 days. This is meant to allow other Administrators a chance to review in case the feature was incorrectly enabled. This is an irreversible change, so it needs to be handled carefully.

Q: What happens when a device or user belongs to more than one purge schedule?

A: If a device or user belongs to more than one purge schedule, by default the purge will use the purge schedule that retains the most data for this device or user. For example, if device “A” belongs to a purge schedule that removes data older than the past six months and also belongs to another schedule that removes data older than a year, only data older than a year will be removed.

Q: What are the start and end time for the purge?

A: When the purge is scheduled through the System Settings in the database, it will default to start between 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM, and end at 5:00 AM. The timezone is selected based on the majority of users' timezone in the database.

Q: What should I do if I already have the purge enabled?

A: If it is already enabled, ensure that the purge schedule is set up correctly. It is important to check that the system is configured to only purge data that is not needed for any of the regulatory products you are using in our system from the legal data retention standpoint.

Q: When data is purged using this feature, can the Telematics Provider give me a copy if I mistakenly delete it?

A: Once the data is purged using this functionality the Telematics Provider no longer has any reasonable access to that data. It is important that you retain all data necessary to satisfy your organization's legal and regulatory requirements. You can purge or download your data using the Fleet Management Application.

Q: Are Tachograph files purged today?

A: No, they are currently not purged as part of the current functionality.

Q: Will the Data Purge be applicable to both active and inactive databases?

A: Any database (active or inactive) with a purge schedule setup will have the data purged (deleted) based on the data retention periods provided in the purge schedule

Q: Does Geotab allow purging data for a specific date range?

A: No.

Resources and contact information

For any further questions, please contact your Authorized Sales Partner.