Apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for data retention in a common group-based communication channel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12375439-B2
Application number	US-202418424715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2024
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include apparatuses, computer program products, and methods for data management in a group-based communication system. Specifically, some embodiments address data management for group-based communication channel(s) accessible to any number of entities based on various data retention policies. In this regard, embodiments enable maintenance of data associated with multiple organizations accessing a group-based communication channel based on a single, shared data retention policy, or different data retention policies, for example based on authorship of the group-based communication message. In embodiments, a data retention policy may be assigned directly to an entity, or assigned to a higher-level or lower-level entity and function as a default data a retention policy for other entities associated therewith. A group-based communication system is configured to enable storage of data based on corresponding data retention policies for each organization identifier, and/or an agreed data retention policy for all organization identifiers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining a virtual space within a group-based communication platform that is accessible to a plurality of users, wherein the group-based communication platform maintains a plurality of virtual spaces, including the virtual space, that are accessible to different groups of users of the group-based communication platform;
determining that a message has been posted within the virtual space by a user of the plurality of users;
determining one or more data retention policies associated with the message, the one or more data retention policies including one or more parameters that define a specified duration of time that the message is to be stored by the group-based communication platform prior to deletion;
determining that the message has been modified or deleted by the user or another user of the plurality of users;
storing the message in association with the virtual space for the specified duration of time wherein an initial form of the message, prior to the message being modified or deleted, is stored;
determining that a current time is at or after an expiration of the specified duration of time; and
in response to determining that the current time is at or after the expiration of the specified duration of time, determining that the message is to be deleted from the group-based communication platform.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the message is stored in a first data storage location, associated with the virtual space, of a database that stores data associated with the group-based communication platform.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein determining that the message is to be deleted from the group-based communication platform comprises:
transferring the message from the first data storage location to a second data storage location of the database prior to the deletion of the message, wherein the message is to be maintained in the second data storage location for a second specified duration of time;
determining that a second current time is after a second expiration of the second specified duration of time; and
in response to determining that the second current time is after the second expiration of the second specified duration of time, causing the message to be permanently deleted from the group-based communication platform.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying an event associated with at least one of the message or the virtual space; and
based at least in part on a type of the event, refraining from deleting the message from the group-based communication platform.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more data retention policies are associated with an organization of the user.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more data retention policies include a first data retention policy associated with a first organization of the user and a second data retention policy associated with a second organization of a second user of the plurality of users.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the specified duration of time begins at a time at which the message was posted to the virtual space.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the message is modifiable by the user during the specified duration of time.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more data retention policies include a first data retention policy and a second data retention policy, further comprising:
determining that the first data retention policy indicates to retain the message for the specified duration of time;
determining that the second data retention policy indicates to retain the message for a second specified duration of time that is less than the specified duration of time; and
in response to determining that the second specified duration of time is less than the specified duration of time, retaining the message for the specified duration of time.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more data retention policies include a first data retention policy and a second data retention policy, further comprising:
determining that the first data retention policy indicates to retain the message in a first data storage location associated with the group-based communication platform at a first security level;
determining that the second data retention policy indicates to retain the message in a second data storage location associated with the group-based communication platform at a second security level;
determining that the first security level is greater than the second security level; and
in response to determining that the first security level is greater than the second security level, retaining the message for the specified duration of time in the first data storage location.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the virtual space is a first type of virtual space that defines the specified duration of time, further comprising:
determining one or more second data retention policies associated with a second virtual space of the group-based communication platform, wherein the second virtual space is a second type of virtual space that is different than the first type of virtual space, wherein the first type of virtual space is one of a public channel or a private channel and the second type of virtual space is an other of the public channel or the private channel; and
determining that the one or more second data retention policies define a second specified duration of time that a second message posted in the second virtual space is to be stored by the group-based communication platform, wherein the second specified duration of time is different than the specified duration of time.

12. A system comprising:
memory;
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
determining a virtual space within a group-based communication platform that is accessible to a plurality of users, wherein the group-based communication platform maintains a plurality of virtual spaces, including the virtual space, that are accessible to different groups of users of the group-based communication platform;
determining that a message has been posted within the virtual space by a user of the plurality of users;
determining one or more data retention policies associated with the message, the one or more data retention policies including one or more parameters that define a specified duration of time that the message is to be stored by the group-based communication platform prior to deletion;
determining that the message has been modified or deleted by the user or another user of the plurality of users;
storing the message in association with the virtual space for the specified duration of time, wherein an initial form of the message, prior to the message being modified or deleted, is stored;
determining that a current time is at or after an expiration of the specified duration of time; and
in response to determining that the current time is at or after the expiration of the specified duration of time, determining that the message is to be deleted from the group-based communication platform.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the message is stored in a first data storage location, associated with the virtual space, of a database that stores data associated with the group-based communication platform, and wherein determining that the message is to be deleted from the group-based communication platform comprises:
transferring the message from the first data

Assignees

• Salesforce Inc

Inventors

• Vasamsetti Sri
• Jennings Paul Matthew
• Rosania Paul
• Gordon Steven
• Demmer Michael

Classifications

• H04L51/216

  Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads · CPC title

• G06F16/113

  Details of archiving (lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data G06F11/1446) · CPC title

• G06F16/125

  characterised by the use of retention policies (retention policies for HSM systems G06F16/185) · CPC title

• H04L12/185

  with management of multicast group membership · CPC title

• H04L51/42 Primary

  Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes · CPC title