Data Retention Management via Record Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Complex organizations face challenges in managing data retention for business records, as existing systems lack efficient methods to determine when records reach retention thresholds and appropriately separate and store data elements based on defined retention policies across different storage locations.
Innovation Solution
A computer-based system with processor logic instructions determines when business records reach retention thresholds, separates them into data elements with associated retention policies, and stores each element in a selected location based on those policies, facilitating efficient data archival and storage across various environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If business records are stored as complete units, then storage and retrieval are simple, but retention policy compliance becomes difficult when different data elements have different retention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments business records into individual data elements with unique identifiers. Each data element can be independently tracked and managed according to its specific retention policy, allowing different parts of the same record to have different retention requirements applied to them.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts data element identifiers from complete business records and stores them in a separate index structure. This allows the system to track and manage retention policies for individual data elements without storing the actual record data, separating the management complexity from the storage simplicity.
2Reliability
If data elements are separated and stored individually, then retention policy compliance is improved, but storage and retrieval complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary index structure that maps data element identifiers to their storage locations. This intermediary layer allows the system to manage individual data elements separately while providing a simplified interface for storage and retrieval operations, reducing the perceived complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal index structure that can handle multiple data elements from different business records with different retention policies through a single, unified management mechanism. This multi-functional index serves both tracking and retrieval purposes.
3Reliability
If all data elements are retained indefinitely, then compliance with maximum retention policies is ensured, but storage efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors the retention status of each data element by comparing its age against its specific retention policy. When data elements reach their maximum retention period, the system automatically identifies and deletes them, ensuring compliance while freeing storage space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent automatically discards data elements that have exceeded their retention policies and recovers the storage space they occupied. This ensures that the system maintains compliance with maximum retention requirements while optimizing storage efficiency by eliminating unnecessary data.
4Reliability
If retention threshold checking is performed frequently, then retention policy compliance is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs retention threshold checking periodically rather than continuously, examining data elements at scheduled intervals to determine if they have reached their retention thresholds. This periodic approach maintains compliance while reducing the processing overhead compared to continuous monitoring.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer program products manage retention of data associated with a business record (310) are described herein. In one embodiment, a computer-based system to manage retention of data associated with a business record (100) comprises at least one processor (222) and logic instructions stored in a tangible computer readable medium which, when executed by the at least one processor (222), configure the at least one processor (222) to determine whether the business record (310) has reached a record retention threshold (415), and in response to a determination that a business record (310) has reached the record retention threshold (415) to separate a business record (310) into a plurality of data elements (420), wherein the data elements have at least one defined retention policy (810) associated therewith, determine a selected storage location for each of the plurality of data elements (420) based on the at least one defined retention policy (810) and store each of the plurality of data elements (420) in the selected storage location.