The retention policy is configured to retain items for 7 years from their creation date and then automatically delete them.

1. File1.docx (Created Jan 15, 2068): The 7-year retention period expires on January 15, 2075. Since the policy's action is to "Delete items automatically," the file is designated for automatic deletion after its retention period ends.

2. File2.docx (Created Feb 20, 2070): The 7-year retention period ends on February 20, 2077. As of the current date (Jan 01, 2075), the file is within its retention period and is therefore actively being retained by the policy.

3. File3.docx (Created Mar 25, 2074): This file is within its retention period. A fundamental principle of retention policies is to prevent permanent deletion. If a user attempts to delete this file, a copy is preserved in the site's Preservation Hold library, meaning the user cannot permanently delete it.

1. Microsoft Purview Documentation - Learn about retention policies and retention labels: "If content is subject to a retention policy... a copy of that content is retained in a secured location... For SharePoint and OneDrive sites

the original file is moved to the Preservation Hold library." This explains why a user cannot permanently delete File3.docx.

URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/retention#how-retention-policies-and-retention-labels-work-with-content-in-place

2. Microsoft Purview Documentation - Retention policy and retention label actions: "The delete action is a permanent deletion... For SharePoint and OneDrive

the timer job that runs periodically identifies items whose retention period has expired

and these items are moved to the second-stage Recycle Bin

where they are permanently deleted after 93 days." This confirms the automatic deletion process for File1.docx.

URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/retention-policy-and-retention-label-actions#deleting-items

3. Microsoft Purview Documentation - How retention works for SharePoint and OneDrive: "When a retention policy is applied to a SharePoint site... content can't be permanently deleted... during the retention period because it's retained in the Preservation Hold library." This reinforces the behavior for File3.docx.

URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/retention-policies-sharepoint#how-retention-works-for-sharepoint-and-onedrive