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Introduction
Records Retention includes two different ways to control who can access retention functionality. This article explains the difference between a Retention Manager (global retention access) and assigning access at the Department level (restricted retention access).
A. Problem Statement
Records Retention contains high-impact actions such as queuing and purging documents. Without the proper access model, districts may either:
give too many users broad retention access, or
block the wrong users from seeing the retention document types they are responsible for.
This article clarifies how retention access works so permissions can be assigned appropriately.
B. Solution
Records Retention access is managed in two primary ways:
1) Retention Manager (Global Access) - Only accessible by SCView Support Team
- The Retention Manager is assigned when enabling Records Retention. This user has visibility into all Document Types that have retention policies configured and can manage the full retention workflow.
2) Department-Based Access (Restricted View)
- Users can also be assigned retention visibility based on Department access, which limits what they can see/manage in Records Retention. If a user is assigned to specific departments, they will only see retention items tied to those areas.
Note: If you need step one completed please reach out to support for set up.
Step 1: Assign the Retention Manager (Global Access)
Go to Settings > Client Features
Locate and enable Records Retention
Select the Retention Manager
Click Apply and enter a reason (audit logging)
Result:
The Retention Manager will have full access to all configured retention document types.
Step 2: Assign Retention Access by Department (Restricted Access)
Department-based access is used when you want a user to manage retention only for specific areas (example: Board of Education documents only).
Navigate to Admin > Document Types, right click > Edit Department
Assign the appropriate user(s) to the department(s) that should be visible in retention
- Save changes
Result: When the user opens Records Retention, they will only see the document types tied to the department(s) they were assigned to.
Step 3: Confirm what each user can see
Use Records Retention as a quick validation check:
Retention Manager should see everything that has a policy set up
Department-limited users should only see document types tied to their assigned department(s)
C. Best Practices
Assign the Retention Manager to a role that is accountable for retention actions (not a casual admin).
Use Department-based access to delegate responsibility safely (example: Finance manages finance retention; HR manages HR retention).
Limit retention access intentionally since purge actions are permanent and high-impact.
Validate access by logging in as the user (or having them confirm what they see in the Records Retention dropdown).
D. Troubleshooting
User can’t see any Document Types in Records Retention
Confirm retention policies are configured for at least one Document Type
Confirm the user is either:
the Retention Manager, or
assigned to the appropriate department(s)
User sees too many Document Types
They may be assigned as the Retention Manager (global visibility)
Confirm if they should be restricted via Department-based access instead
Confusion about Doc Type-specific access
The “restricted” retention visibility is department-based (not assigned individually per Doc Type).
E. Related Articles
Conclusion
Retention access is controlled through two key methods. The Retention Manager has global visibility and control for all retention-enabled document types. For tighter security and responsibility, Department-based access can be used to restrict users so they only see the retention document types tied to the departments they support.