Prevent orphaned files and surface delete errors

Introduction

Previously, when the automated document deletion process encountered an error—such as a file being locked or an issue with an external connector—the system would still delete the record in Salesforce, leaving behind an “orphaned” file. This update ensures that the Salesforce record is only removed if the underlying file is successfully deleted, preventing data inconsistency.

Who is this feature relevant for?

System Administrators
Compliance Officers
IT Support Teams

Benefits at a glance

Prevents orphaned files by ensuring Salesforce records and physical files stay in sync.
Provides immediate visibility into deletion failures directly on the document record.
Reduces manual cleanup effort for administrators by automatically retrying failed deletions.

Feature explanation

The automated document deletion batch has been improved to be aware of file-level outcomes before proceeding with record deletion. If a file cannot be deleted due to technical reasons, the corresponding Salesforce record is now held back instead of being removed. This prevents the creation of orphaned files that occupy storage without a clear reference.

Furthermore, the system now captures the specific error message returned during the failed deletion attempt and stamps it directly onto the document record in the “Error Message” field. This allows administrators to see exactly why a deletion failed without having to search through central technical logs. Records that fail to delete will remain flagged and will be automatically retried during the next scheduled batch run.

Set-up / Implementation time

This improvement is active immediately for all automated document deletion processes; no additional configuration is required.

Other features in this release

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