Web Recycle Bin

The web recycle bin is an essential safety net that allows you to recover documents deleted by mistake. It provides a grace period before permanent deletion and serves as an important data management tool.

Operating Principle

Role of the recycle bin

The recycle bin serves several functions:

Protection against errors:

• Recovery from accidental deletions
• Reversal of hasty deletions
• Time for reflection before permanent deletion

Data management:

• Buffer space for deleted documents
• Visibility into what was deleted and by whom
• Control before permanent purge

Traceability:

• History of deletions
• Identification of deletion authors
• Precise date and time

Access

Path: Main Menu Administration > Recycle Bin (or direct URL /Trash)

Required rights: Only administrators have access to the recycle bin, ensuring that a user cannot discreetly make sensitive documents disappear.

Recycle Bin Interface

Dashboard

The interface presents a table listing all deleted objects with detailed columns to facilitate searching and management.

Available columns:

Column	Description	Usage
Checkbox	Selection for grouped actions	Select multiple documents
Title	Document or record name	Identify content
Deleted by	User identifier	Identify deletion author
Deletion date	Precise timestamp	Locate temporally
Type	Object category	Document, Folder, Task, etc.
Original path	Location before deletion	Locate where it will be restored
Reference	Document number or code	Identify precisely

Search tools

Search bar:

• Quick search by title, reference or author
• Instant list filtering

Filters:

• By type: Documents, Tasks, Resources, etc.
• By user: Who deleted
• By date: Deletion period
• By path: Original service or location

Sort:

• Click on column headers to sort
• Ascending or descending sort
• Multiple sort (hold Shift)

Available actions

Toolbar:

• Refresh: Reload the list
• Restore: Recover selected documents
• Purge: Delete permanently
• Export: Download the list (CSV, Excel)
• Select all: Check all visible items

Operations

Restore a document

Procedure:

1. Locate the document in the recycle bin (search or filters)
2. Select the document (checkbox)
3. Click the Restore button (return arrow icon)
4. Confirm the restoration
5. The document reappears at its original location

Effect:

• The document is reintegrated with all its history
• Access rights are restored
• Links and relationships are reestablished
• The deletion date is removed
• The document becomes visible again to all authorized users

Verification:

1. Access the original location (indicated in "Original path")
2. Verify that the document is present
3. Open the document to confirm integrity
4. Check the history (the restoration action appears there)

Multiple restoration

Procedure:

1. Select multiple documents (checkboxes)
2. Or use Select all for all visible documents
3. Click Restore
4. Confirm mass restoration
5. Wait for processing to complete

Precautions:

• Carefully verify selected documents
• For large volumes (>100), proceed in batches
• Monitor any error messages
• Verify afterwards that all documents are restored

Purge (permanent deletion)

Procedure:

1. Select the document(s) to be permanently deleted
2. Click the Purge button (trash icon)
3. Confirm: An alert warns you that the action is irreversible
4. The document is permanently deleted from the database

Warning:

• IRREVERSIBLE action
• No recovery possible
• Deletion of all associated data (attachments, history, etc.)
• Use with utmost caution

When to purge:

• Valueless test documents
• Confirmed obsolete data
• Identified duplicates
• After validation with stakeholders
• While respecting legal retention periods

Automatic purge

Configuration: According to your installation settings

Operation:

• Documents remain in the recycle bin for a defined period (e.g., 30 days)
• After this period, a scheduled task automatically purges them
• This prevents recycle bin clutter

Recommendation:

• Regularly check the recycle bin before automatic purge
• Export the list periodically for archiving
• Document the retention policy

Use Cases

Case 1: Recovery of a procedure deleted by mistake

Situation: A user accidentally deleted an important procedure while trying to delete a draft

Action:

1. The user reports the error immediately
2. Access Administration > Recycle Bin
3. Filter by:
   • User: User's name
   • Type: Procedure
   • Date: Today
4. Locate the procedure (e.g., "PROC-QUA-001 - NC Management")
5. Check original path: /Documents/Quality/Procedures
6. Select the document
7. Restore
8. Verify in /Documents/Quality/Procedures that the procedure is back
9. Inform the user
10. Advise the user on prevention (confirmation before deletion)

Result: Procedure recovered in less than 2 minutes, no data loss

Case 2: Recycle bin cleanup after training

Situation: Training generated 50 test documents, now deleted and in the recycle bin

Action:

1. Access Administration > Recycle Bin
2. Filter by:
   • Deleted by: "FormationTest" or all participants
   • Deletion date: Training date
   • Type: All
3. Verify that all listed documents are indeed tests (check titles)
4. Export the list for traceability
5. Select all
6. Purge
7. Confirm permanent deletion
8. Verify that the recycle bin is empty of these documents

Result: Recycle bin cleaned, disk space freed

Case 3: Deletion audit

Situation: GDPR compliance audit, need to prove deletion of personal data

Action:

1. Access Administration > Recycle Bin
2. Configure filters:
   • Type: Customer files
   • Deletion date: Audit period
3. Export the list (Excel)
4. The report contains:
   • List of deleted customers
   • Deletion date
   • Deletion author
5. Verify that retention periods are respected
6. If necessary, purge data beyond legal period
7. Keep the export as proof of compliance

Result: Documented proof of compliant personal data management

Case 4: Identifying suspicious deletions

Situation: Suspicion of abusive deletion of sensitive documents

Action:

1. Access Administration > Recycle Bin
2. Filter by:
   • Type: Sensitive documents (e.g., Contracts)
   • Period: Last week
3. Identify unusual deletions
4. For each suspect document:
   • Note title, reference
   • Note who deleted and when
   • Check original path
5. Consult the Log Journal for context
6. If suspicion confirmed:
   • Restore documents
   • Contact user for explanations
   • Document the incident
7. Strengthen rights if necessary

Result: Enhanced security, critical documents recovered

Case 5: Periodic cleanup

Situation: Quarterly recycle bin maintenance

Action:

1. Schedule a time slot (e.g., last Friday of quarter)
2. Access Administration > Recycle Bin
3. Export the complete list (archiving)
4. Analyze content:
   • Documents > 90 days: Candidates for purging
   • Documents < 30 days: To keep
   • Documents between 30 and 90 days: To examine
5. For each category:
   • Verify that no important documents are present
   • Contact users in case of doubt
6. Purge validated documents > 90 days
7. Document the maintenance operation

Result: Optimized recycle bin, preserved performance, respected compliance

Best Practices

Regular consultation

Recommended frequency: Weekly or bi-monthly

Actions:

• Quickly browse the list
• Identify unexpected documents
• Restore if necessary
• Purge confirmed obsolete documents

Volume management

Issue: An overfull recycle bin impacts performance

Best practices:

• Limit number of items (< 1000 if possible)
• Purge regularly (monthly or quarterly)
• Export before purging (archiving)
• Educate users to delete only what's necessary

Communication

With users:

• Explain the existence of the recycle bin (recovery possibility)
• Indicate retention period (e.g., 30 days)
• Specify who to contact for accidental deletion
• Remind about double confirmation before purge

Documentation:

• Keep a record of important restorations
• Document major purges
• Keep exports for audit

Security

Access control:

• Restrict access to administrators only
• Don't allow users to see their own deletions (prevents discreet deletions)
• Regularly audit recycle bin actions

Traceability:

• All actions (restoration, purge) are logged
• Consult Log Journal for audit
• Keep exports for history

Compliance

GDPR:

• Respect legal retention periods
• Purge obsolete personal data
• Document sensitive data deletions
• Keep proof of purge

Audit:

• Prepare periodic reports
• Export regularly for archiving
• Document retention policy
• Train administrators on legal obligations

Complementary Tools

Log journal

Link with recycle bin:

• Deletions are traced in logs
• Restorations too
• Cross-reference information for investigation

Usage:

• Identify who deleted what
• Understand deletion context
• Compliance audit

Activity reports

Useful indicators:

• Number of documents deleted per month
• Number of restorations (measure errors)
• Average time before restoration
• Purge vs restoration rate

Analysis:

• Identify patterns (users deleting a lot)
• Measure training effectiveness
• Optimize processes

Limitations

What is in the recycle bin

Concerned objects:

• Documents (all categories)
• Tasks
• Form records
• Folders (and their content)

What is NOT in the recycle bin

Non-recoverable objects:

• Deleted users (directory)
• Deleted services (organization chart)
• Deleted workflows (Process Studio)
• Deleted custom views
• System configurations

Recommendation: For these elements, make backups before deletion

Support

In case of problem

Document not found in recycle bin:

• Check applied filters
• Check if automatic purge ran
• Consult deletion logs
• Contact support if critical document

Restoration fails:

• Check available disk space
• Check access rights to original path
• Check that original path still exists
• Consult error logs
• Contact Avanteam support

Purge blocked:

• Check that no documents are locked
• Proceed in smaller batches
• Consult error logs
• Contact support if persistent

Training

Administrators:

• Train on recycle bin management
• Explain best practices
• Simulate restoration cases
• Document procedures

Users:

• Explain recovery possibility
• Indicate retention period
• Specify request procedure
• Reassure about traceability

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Important note: The recycle bin is a security tool, not an archive. Don't rely on it to keep documents long-term. Use appropriate archiving functions for documents that need to be preserved permanently.