The strictest rule in the Data Retention settings is the Full Delete option.
If you enable Full Delete in your Netigate account or for a specific survey, all survey data will be scheduled for deletion based on your configured Data Retention settings.
This means your surveys will be permanently removed from Netigate’s servers.
Important: Once a survey is deleted, it is permanently removed. This action is irreversible, and the survey cannot be restored.
It is recommended to establish an internal process for managing survey data. This will help prevent the loss of questions, results, or reports that may be needed in the future.
Where to Find Full Delete
There are two locations where you can manage the deletion date of a survey:
Survey Settings
Account Settings
Note: These settings are only available to Admin users.
For more information, please refer to the relevant documentation.
What Will Be Deleted
Enabling Full Delete will irreversibly remove all data associated with the survey, including:
All responses
All survey reports
All respondent data
All questions and sendouts
All translations
For a detailed comparison of data removed by Full Delete versus Partial Delete, refer to the relevant documentation.
When Deletion Occurs
Data is deleted in the evening on the scheduled date.
For example, if a survey is set to be deleted four years after its end date (e.g., 31 May 2018), the survey will be scheduled for deletion on 31 May 2022 at approximately 20:00 CEST.
Deletions are executed overnight, but the exact time may vary depending on the deletion queue.
Questions and Answers
Using Question Templates
Question: I am using surveys in Netigate as templates and reuse them for future projects. How should I manage these surveys?
Answer: To prevent these templates from being deleted, adjust the Survey Retention Settings individually.
Navigate to Survey Settings and set the “Will be deleted after” date far in the future. This overrides the account-level retention setting and ensures the template remains available for reuse.
For example, if the date is set to 10 May 2050, the survey will be permanently deleted at 23:59 CEST on that date.
Comparing Survey Results / Benchmarking
Question: I conduct recurring annual surveys (e.g., employee or customer surveys) and want to compare results year over year. What should I do if previous surveys are scheduled for deletion?
Answer: If surveys are deleted due to Data Retention settings, the data cannot be recovered.
To retain historical data for benchmarking:
Export all necessary data before deletion in a usable format (e.g., Excel, PowerPoint).
If possible, export raw data to enable survey reconstruction in the system.
Ensure compliance with GDPR by removing personal data prior to storage.
Use the Import Survey Data function to re-import data for future comparisons and reporting.
Working with an Ongoing Survey
Question: My survey will be active for an extended period. Will it be affected during this time?
Answer: This depends on your current settings:
Only Account-Level Retention Rule:
Ongoing surveys will not be affected. Full deletion applies only after the end date and when the survey is marked as completed.Survey-Level Full Delete Date Set:
The survey will be deleted on the specified date, even if it is still ongoing.Full Delete After a Number of Days Set:
If the survey was distributed via email or SMS, deletion occurs after the set number of days following the send-out.
If answers are submitted via a public link, the countdown begins from the date the response was submitted.
Respondent Lists and Sendouts
Question: I have uploaded sendouts and respondent lists to my surveys. What happens to this data?
Answer: All data connected to the survey will be deleted when Full Delete is triggered.
If you wish to retain email content or texts, use the Email Templates feature available under Account Settings. This feature is available to Enterprise customers.
Timeframe of the Full Delete
Question: What happens if I enter a past date or a near-future date for Full Delete?
Answer:
If the selected date has already passed, the survey will be scheduled for deletion at the next available opportunity.
If the date is today or yesterday, deletion is scheduled for 23:59 CEST on the current day.
If a date is set that precedes the survey’s end date, deletion will still occur on the scheduled date, even if the survey has not yet concluded.