AEM Sites: Creating an Archive process for deletion after a set period of time. (Content Author)

[DianneE]

Hi, I'm currently looking for resources on setting up a structure in AEM sites to have old content (pages or sites) be removed from sites.

However, I like to do this in a 30/60/90 day process. On any of these marker dates we can then remove for good.

I'm looking for ways to safely archieve content whether it be AEM PROD pages or Assets, but if pages were mistakenly deleted or archieved we can bring them back either with a restore or from the archieve folder. 

I see when an author and we go to delete pages do get the prompt to archieve pages. I would like to use this feature in AEM but need guidence on how to do so or provide access to the archieve portion of AEM. 

I like to reduce the risk of unmistakenly delete content. So, I like to use the AEM Plateform to try and safegaurd or place a check in goverance on page removals. 

• I'm open to suggestions if you feel a workflow to move pages that need to deleted after a set period of time,
• Or a folder structure to place pages, sites, and assets into to remove safely. Archieve and then once safe to remove we can fully delete, by doing this action I'm looking at forcing pages that are delete to move to an archieve folder for approvals, then removed once all risk is measured and reviewed.

[Ekhlaque · Accepted solution]

@DianneE You can build a workflow  "Move to Archive," "Pending Deletion," which:

• Moves page(s) or asset(s) to a dedicated archive folder or section.
• Sets a timed workflow using workflow launchers or workflow steps to escalate their status 30/60/90 days.
• Notifies stewards/approvers at each interval.
• At the final stage, the page is purged/deleted.

You can also restrict who can delete or purge content, and who can access the archive. This is set via permissions on /var/restore or custom archive structures.

[DianneE]

Thank you, @Ekhlaque, I will set up as a discovery and let you know if I have any additional questions or if I need additional guidance. 

[LindsSch86]

Hi Dianne, 

Do you have an example of the workflow you built for this? I am looking to do something similar as well! How is working so far?

[DianneE]

Not yet, I have created an outline and will be working on this with devs in our 2026 roadmap. I took what I found and did an investigation as well from some AEM Blog posts on best practices.
I'm looking at using the "do you want to archive before deletion?" that is out of the box and expanding it to include a 30/60/90 day rule. 

Having key governance for each milestone. Site PO, Stakeholder, Complaince/Risk, Author SME. once it goes to the 90 all will agree on deletion risk is low and the page will be removed from production completely.  

here are some of my notes or finding: 

aem workflow archive

In Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), workflows can be archived to manage completed instances and improve system performance. 

Viewing Archived Workflows:

1. Navigate to Tools > Workflow in the AEM global navigation.

2. Select the Archive option to see a list of workflow instances that have successfully completed.

3. Successful completion includes instances that were terminated due to user actions or other events like a page being deleted.

4. To see detailed information about a specific archived workflow, select it and then click Open History.

Benefits of Archiving Workflows:

• Improved performance: Removing completed workflows from the active workflow list can improve overall system performance.

• Reduced repository growth: Archiving transient workflows (workflows designed for high ingestion loads) can significantly reduce the amount of data stored in the repository.

• Easier management of running workflows: By archiving completed instances, it becomes easier to manage the list of currently running workflows.

• Historical context: Archived workflows provide a record of past processes and can be useful for analysis and audits.

Important Considerations:

• AEM Cloud Service's "versions", "snapshots", and workflow trails are primarily designed for content management and deletion, not long-term archival or compliance-specific archiving.

• For compliance-specific archiving, it's crucial to ensure that archived content matches the original exactly, all sections and pages are retrievable, and records cannot be altered by later changes.

• If you need to retain content for compliance reasons, such as for regulatory or legal requirements, relying solely on AEM's standard archiving features might not be sufficient.

• Many organizations use third-party archiving solutions for advanced compliance and archiving features like tamper-proof storage and metadata preservation.

Another thought of interest: 

Page versions and restores, this set up in the experience league

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-cloud-service/content/sites/authoring/...

I'm asking the devs in a spike to see the LOE of creating a workflow notifying key owners of actions using maybe role persona. 

I will keep you posted. 🙂