With the release of Acumatica 2023 R1, a game-changing feature has been introduced: Document Archival Functionality. This feature is designed to help businesses improve system performance and streamline operations by archiving outdated records from the most commonly used data tables, starting with Sales Orders and Shipments.

Archiving helps organizations handle large data volumes more efficiently, ensuring the active records remain accessible while archived records are still retrievable for reference. Here’s an in-depth look at how this feature works and how it benefits users.

Why You Need the Archival Feature?

To appreciate the value of the Archival feature in Acumatica, let’s examine some statistics that demonstrate its impact on performance. 

In the example below, we have selected the SOOrder table and enabled SQL statistics to monitor the time it takes to execute the query and retrieve the results. We used a straightforward WHERE clause (OrderNbr IS NOT NULL) to ensure that the query retrieves every record in the table. This approach clearly shows that the query's speed is not affected by the filter.

In this case, the SOOrder table contains over one million records; however, only 100,000 of these are active orders. The remaining 900,000 records are outdated and no longer in use.

The results are remarkable. Without the partitioning feature (Archival), SQL scans over a million records. However, when partitioning is applied, it only scans 100,545 active records. 

In the first query, which scans the entire table, the result takes 46,187 ms to return. In contrast, the second query, which utilizes the Archival feature to scan only the active records, completes in just 4,561 ms. This demonstrates a significant difference of 41,626 ms (over 41 seconds), highlighting the enhanced speed of the query when the Archival feature is implemented.

Why does this occur? As illustrated in the screenshot below, the Archival feature dramatically improves performance. The first query requires SQL to scan more than a million records, many of which are outdated and inactive. When partitioning is employed through the Archival feature, SQL only needs to scan the 100,545 active records, resulting in much faster query execution.

What is a Document Archival?

Document archival is the process of moving older, less frequently used records into a separate partition within the database. These archived records are excluded from regular queries and searches, significantly improving system performance. In Acumatica, this functionality leverages SQL partitioning to physically separate archived records from active ones. This ensures that active records are retrieved faster during daily operations while archived records remain accessible in specific cases, such as audits or historical analyses.

Currently, the feature applies to two critical modules:
- Sales Orders
- Shipments

Key Components of the Archival Feature

The archival functionality in Acumatica revolves around two key screens:

1. Archival Policy Screen:
   This is where you define how and when documents should be archived.
   - Table Name Selection: Choose the table to apply the archival policy (e.g., Sales Order or Shipment).
   - Retention Period: Set the number of months before a document becomes eligible for archiving. For example, a retention period of 1 month means documents older than one month are ready to archive.
   - Recommendations: Acumatica suggests a retention period of at least 12 months to ensure that records still relevant to annual operations are not аrchived prematurely.

 In the Summary area of the Archival Policy form, the duration of the archival process is set by default to six hours, which means that the system runs the process no longer than six hours. Even if the system has not processed all the documents ready to be archived during the specified duration, it stops the process. You can override this value on the Archival Policy form manually while you are configuring the archival policy, or it can be overridden in the archival schedule settings (see the Scheduling an Archiving Process section further in this topic). This duration can also be modified on the Archive Documents (SM500400) form when you are running the process manually.

2. Archive Documents Screen:
   This screen displays documents that are ready for archiving, grouped by the Ready-to-Archive Date. Users can process selected records or archive all eligible records at once.

How the Archival Process Works

Archiving in Acumatica is driven by specific criteria that determine when documents are ready to be archived. These criteria vary depending on the type of document:

- For Sales Orders:
  The readiness depends on the order's status and type. For example:
  - Completed or Canceled Orders: Orders must have no open lines.
  - Behavior-Based Conditions:
    - SO, IN, CM, RM Behaviors: All related shipments must have a released invoice.
    - TR Behavior: All shipments must be confirmed.
    - BL Behavior: Both Unbilled Balance and Unbilled Quantity must be zero.
    - QT Behavior: Orders simply need to be Completed without additional conditions.

- For Shipments:
  Shipments must be in Completed status to qualify for archiving.

Once these conditions are met, the documents appear on the Archive Documents screen, ready for processing.

Benefits of Archiving for Users

1. Enhanced System Performance:
   By separating archived records from active ones, the database can process queries faster. This is especially beneficial for organizations managing high transaction volumes.

2. Streamlined Data Management:
   Active tables remain focused on current operations, reducing noise and complexity when searching or reporting.

3. Improved User Experience:
   With a smaller active dataset, screens load faster, and users can navigate the system more efficiently.

4. Regulatory Compliance and Historical Analysis:
   Archived records are still accessible for audits or historical research, ensuring users maintain access to critical information without affecting everyday operations.

Accessing Archived Records

Although archived records are excluded from regular lookups, Acumatica provides several ways to access them:

- Direct Links:
  Hyperlinks from related records (e.g., a Sales Order link on the Shipment Details tab).

- Document Keys:
  Users can manually input the Order Type and Order Number to retrieve a specific record.

When an archived document is opened, Acumatica displays a notification indicating that the document is archived.

Additionally:
- Archived Sales Orders can be copied, printed, or unarchived.
- Archived Shipments can only be unarchived.

These records are view-only, with most actions disabled to prevent accidental modifications.

Integration with Inquiries and Reports

By default, archived documents are excluded from:
- Generic Inquiries
- Reports

However, users can choose to include archived records when necessary:
- In inquiries, enable the Show Archived Records checkbox.

- In reports, select the Print or Only option for archived records under the Print and Email Settings tab.

This flexibility ensures that archived data remains accessible when needed while keeping standard operations focused on active records.

Unarchiving Documents

If a document needs to be restored, users can easily unarchive it:

- Use the Extract Action available on the Sales Order or Shipment screen.
- The document will be moved back into the active records, ready for standard operations.

Why This Matters for Your Business

The Document Archival feature is more than just a performance enhancement tool—it’s a strategic solution for managing data in growing organizations. By implementing a well-thought-out archival policy, businesses can optimize their ERP performance, reduce operational friction, and maintain access to historical records seamlessly.

Whether you’re processing hundreds of Sales Orders daily or managing complex shipment workflows, Acumatica’s Document Archival functionality empowers users to focus on what matters most: driving growth and delivering value.