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Getting Started > Working with Records > About Deleting and Restoring Records

About Deleting and Restoring Records

When you delete a record or a list of records, the records are stored for 30 days in the Deleted Items area. During that time, you can restore the records. However, after 30 days, the deleted items are permanently purged and cannot be retrieved.

NOTE: For a list of the record types that are stored in the Deleted Items area, see Oracle Web Services On Demand Guide, which is available from the Oracle CRM On Demand documentation library on Oracle Technology Network.

Types of Delete Operations

When you delete a record, the delete operations that are performed on the record and its related records are determined by the record types and the relationships between the records. The types of delete operations are as follows:

• Direct delete. When you delete a record, the record itself is deleted. This operation is called a direct delete.
• Cascade delete. When you delete a record, any of the record's child records that are not of a top-level record type, such as notes and attachments, are also deleted. This operation is called a cascade delete.

  The following exceptions apply:

  • A cascade delete is not performed on audit trail records when their parent record is deleted.
  • A cascade delete is not performed on a child address record if it is a shared address.
• Deep delete. In some cases, when you delete a record, some of the record's child records that are of a top-level record type are also deleted. This operation is called a deep delete.

  When a deep delete is performed on a child record, the following happens:

  • A cascade delete is performed on any of the record’s child records that are not of a top-level record type, with the exception of audit trail records and any child address records that are shared addresses.
  • A deep delete is performed on some of the record’s child records that are of a top-level record type, depending on the record types involved.

    The following table shows the record types on which a deep delete is performed when a parent record is deleted. Apart from the record types listed in this table, all other child records that are of a top-level record type are untouched when their parent record is deleted.

    Parent Record Type	Record Types on Which a Deep Delete Is Performed
    Account	Asset Lead Opportunity Vehicle
    Contact	Lead
    Dealer	Vehicle
    Opportunity	Lead
    Partner	Lead Opportunity

For example, assume that you have an account that has child note records, a child custom object 04 record, and a child opportunity record. The child opportunity record has child note records, a child custom object 05 record, and a child lead record. If you delete the account record, then the following happens:

• A direct delete is performed on the account record.
• A cascade delete is performed on the account's child note records.
• The account’s child custom object 04 record is untouched because the Custom Object 04 record type is a top-level record type and is not listed in the table of record types on which a deep delete is performed.
• A deep delete is performed on the account’s child opportunity record.

When a deep delete is performed on the account’s child opportunity, the opportunity’s child records are treated as follows:

• A cascade delete is performed on the opportunity's child note records.
• The opportunity's child custom object 05 record is untouched because the Custom Object 05 record type is a top-level record type and is not listed in the table of record types on which a deep delete is performed.
• A deep delete is performed on the opportunity's child lead record.

About Deleting Record Associations

When you delete a child record that is linked to another (parent) record, Oracle CRM On Demand does not delete the information that associates the records with each other. The association information is retained so that if a deleted record is later restored, the associations between the restored record and any records with which it was previously linked can also be restored. However, because the association information for the deleted child record is retained in the parent record, Web service calls that query the parent record will return the association information.

Therefore, if you want to delete a record, and if you also want to delete the information that associates that record with another record, then it is recommended that you first delete the association between the records by unlinking the records. For example, if you have an account record that is linked to a custom object 01 record, and if you want to delete the account and the association between the account and the custom object 01 record, then unlink the account record from the custom object 01 record before you delete the account. However, if you later restore the account record, then the relationship between the account record and the custom object 01 record is not restored.

Additional Information About Deleting Records

The following table provides additional information about deleting records.

NOTE: For further information on linked records, see Converting Leads to Accounts, Contacts, Deal Registrations, or Opportunities.

Deleted Items

When you click the Deleted Items global link, the All Deleted Items page appears with all the items you have deleted. If your user role includes the Recover All Records privilege, you will see all deleted items for your company.

The parent record appears in the deleted items list, but the linked records do not. The only time a linked record appears as a separate record is when you delete the linked record before deleting the parent record.

For example, if you delete an account with three notes linked to it, then the note records do not appear in the list of deleted items. However, if you had deleted one of those linked notes before deleting the account itself, then that note appears in the list of deleted items as a separate record.

When you restore a record, all records linked to that record at the time it was deleted are also restored with their relationships intact. Always restore the parent record first; if you try to restore a child record first, the system displays an error message.

You can use the list on the All Deleted Items page to help you to find deleted records. When you select a record type from the list, the records that are displayed include all deleted notes and attachments for records of that type, as well as all deleted records of that type. However, the rule for linked records still applies. Notes and attachments that were deleted with the parent record are not shown in the list. For example, if you select All Accounts in the list, all account notes and account attachments that were deleted separately from their parent record are displayed, as well as all deleted account records.

NOTE: Companies are limited to the amount of data they can store. Records stored in Deleted Items do not count towards a company’s total disk storage limit.

About Row IDs for Deleted Items

When you delete a record, the deleted item is given a row ID that is different from the row ID of the original record. However, when you restore the record, the original row ID of the record is restored. If you select the option to export all fields when you export a list of deleted items, then the data that is exported for each deleted item includes both the row ID that was assigned to the deleted item, and the original row ID of the record. For more information about exporting lists of records, see Exporting Records in Lists.

Related Topic

See the following topic for instructions on deleting and restoring records:

• Deleting and Restoring Records