Archive & removal of 7-year-old content from My Dundee (2021)


Now that all modules that start in Semester 1 or 2 of 2021 have been created (this includes all modules coded SEM01, SEM12, and SEM02), it’s time to return to the process of archiving and deleting modules older than seven years.

In December, Hamish Loveday sent out messaging about the archiving and removal of content seven years or older (you can re-read that message on our blog page). In that message, we explained that 2004-2013 modules would no longer be available in My Dundee but would be archived and held until the end of July.

What is happening?

Content deletion:

  • Removed content from 2004-2013 modules that was archived in December of 2020 will be permanently deleted on Friday, 27 August 2021
  • In the unlikely event you find you need to access any data from AY 2012/13 or earlier you must notify us in Help4U by Wednesday, 25 August 2021

Content archiving:

  • Content and modules from 2013/14 will no longer be available in My Dundee (AY 2013/14)
  • Archived content for AY 2013/14 will be retained for 6 months in separate storage area and will be deleted at the beginning of February 2022
  • If in the unlikely event you find you need to access any data from AY 2013/14, you can notify us via Help4U before the end of January and it can be retrieved (time to retrieve may vary)

Will this affect me?

It is incredibly unlikely that anyone is still referring to content from 2014 or before. Some users may have links to files that they have somehow copied over every year into each new module, but again this is very unlikely and would be bad practice in terms of the student experience.
Note that anything added or copied from September 2014 to the present day will remain untouched.

What if something is missing that I need?

All information for AY 2013/14 is being archived for six months.
If you do find that an old module or file goes missing that you realise you need access to for whatever reason, please let us know by reporting to Help4U with as much information about the module/file as you can give. Then we can retrieve it from the archive and restore it to My Dundee or simply share the file directly.

Why is this being done?

This is being actioned urgently due to increasing storage costs that must be kept under control. You can expect to see notification of other storage saving activities and best practice recommendations in the coming months as we continue this work.
The specific cut-off of seven years is based on recommendations from the relevant university expertise and policy areas.

Annual process

We will begin to perform this data archive/removal work on an annual basis. This work is being done to meet our immediate storage reduction needs but we do this work at the end of every academic year from 2021.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact ctil@dundee.ac.uk.

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