Purpose: Improve search performance when your outdated data start to represent much more than the active ones.

It is not enabled by default on any class. It can be activated only on root classes in the Data Model, classes such as FunctionalCI, Contact, Ticket. See the XML reference for details.

  <classes>
    <class id="Ticket">
      <properties>
        <archive _delta="define">
          <enabled>true</enabled>
        </archive>
      </properties>
    </class>
  </classes>

Allowing objects of a class to be archived has no direct impact on the user interface, until a module provides the capability to archive and unarchive an object.

If you want to archive automatically every ticket closed and older than two years, then a specific extension could be developed to do this, using a background task. This module does not yet exist.

  DBSearch::DBBulkArchive()
  DBSearch::DBBulkUnarchive()
  DBSearch::DBBulkWriteArchiveFlag.

All archived objects are hidden, for all users including admins, like if they were deleted.

A reference to their friendly name can be found in other objects pointing to them. Example on an archived contact which is the caller of a non-archived Change.
As you can see the link is inactive, you can't open the caller details.

In the history of other objects to which they are or were linked, you just get the id of that archived object:

If you try to open the details of that archived object using a bookmarked url or building the url like this: http://myitop/pages/UI.php?operation=details&class=Person&id=11&

When an object is archived, all its n:n linkages to other objects are archived as well, meaning that they aren't visible anymore

You can toggle the archive mode:

• In archived mode, you have a orange tag to remind you that you have activated it.
  
• All objects are read-only
• Archived objects are visible and tagged as archived

• An attribute referencing an archived object is clickable:

If you desactivate archive mode while you are on an archived object:

you get again the feedback message

Question: The menu “Activate archive mode” is not available?
Answer: Archiving must be enabled on at least, one class.
If you have just done it though a Setup, Move To Test, Move To Production or iTop Hub extension installation, be sure to empty your web browser cache, as this is a known issue.

Question: Can I see “Archived objects” in the User Portal?
Answer: No, archived objects can never be displayed in any user portals.