Document lifecycle in IDM

In Infor Document Management (IDM), documents follow a defined lifecycle from creation to permanent removal. The lifecycle defines document availability, retention, deletion, and permanent removal.

A document starts in the ACTIVE state. From that state, the document follows one of two lifecycle paths, based on retention requirements.

Lifecycle paths

  • Archive-first lifecycle

    ACTIVE → ARCHIVED → DELETED → REMOVED

    Use this path when a document requires retention in a read-only state before deletion, such as for reference or audit purposes.

  • Direct delete lifecycle

    ACTIVE → DELETED → REMOVED

    Use this path when a document does not require archiving before deletion.

    IDM uses intermediate internal states while the system processes actions such as archiving, deleting, or purging.

Key lifecycle concepts

  • ACTIVE documents are available for viewing and updating.
  • ARCHIVED documents are available in a read-only state and support restoration.
  • DELETED documents are unavailable to users and remain in temporary storage.
  • REMOVED documents are permanently deleted and support no recovery.

Users select actions such as Archive, Delete, and Purge. IDM manages lifecycle state changes based on the selected action, permissions, and system configuration.

To permanently remove a document from IDM, run the PURGE retention policy.

For more information on retention policies, see Infor OS User and Administration Library (Cloud) > Administrator > Document Management > Infor Document Management Control Center > Configuration > Retention Policies.