software:squirrel:recycle_bin []

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===== Recycle Bin Capture=====

The [[https://www.smikar.com/squirrel/|Squirrel
]] platform includes a Recycle Bin Capture feature that automatically monitors SharePoint site recycle bins and securely preserves deleted files before they are permanently removed.

Captured items are archived off to Azure storage, ensuring they do not consume SharePoint quota while still remaining accessible for compliance, recovery, or audit purposes.

==== ⚙️ Accessing Recycle Bin Configuration ====

| 🧭 Navigate to the Recycle Bin Capture section in the Squirrel Admin panel. | {{:software:squirrel:rb_sidebar.png?200}} |
| ⚙️ Open the General Settings panel to enable monitoring and manage exclusions. | {{:software:squirrel:rb_enable.png?400}} |
| 📝 Configure Grace Period, Retention Period, and Processing Site URL. | {{:software:squirrel:rb_config.png?400}} |
| 💾 Click Save Changes to apply configuration settings. | |

==== 🔧 Configuration Options ====  

^ Option               ^ Description ^  
| **Enable Monitoring** | Toggle on/off automatic capture of deleted items from SharePoint site recycle bins. Captured files are archived off to Azure storage and **do not consume SharePoint quota**. |  
| **Site Exclusions**   | Exclude specific sites from monitoring to avoid unnecessary capture. |  
| **Grace Period (Days)** | Defines how long to wait after deletion before capture begins (default: 7 days). |  
| **Retention Period**  | Determines how long captured files are retained (e.g., 1 year). After this period, archived files are permanently deleted. |  
| **Processing Site URL** | Designates a SharePoint site where captured items are temporarily staged and processed. |  
| **Monitoring Scope**  | Choose whether to monitor **all SharePoint sites** in the tenant, or only those included in your archive policy. |  


==== ⚠️ Important Notes ====

| 📄 Only the most recent version of a file is captured (version history is not included). | {{:software:squirrel:rb_versions.png?400}} |
| 🔁 Duplicate or locked items may delay recovery; the system retries until successful or until the deleted item expires. | {{:software:squirrel:rb_locked.png?400}} |

==== ⚠️ Limitations ====
^ Limitation ^ Description ^
| **File Version Limitation** | Only the most recent version of each file will be captured. SharePoint version history is not included in the capture process. |
| **Subsite Exclusion** | Subsites including the root of a subsite are not compatible with this feature. All subsites including their root site are excluded from monitoring and capture. |
| **Duplicate Name Handling** | When a file or folder with the same name as a deleted item exists, the system will temporarily rename the existing item to recover the deleted file or folder. |
| **Recovery Retry Behaviour** | If an existing file or folder is open or locked, the renaming process will fail. The system will retry hourly until successful or until the deleted item expires from the recycle bin. |
| **Potential Capture Failure** | Duplicate files or folders that remain in active use may prevent recovery and could result in failure to capture the deleted item if the lock is not released before expiration. |
| **File Path Length & Invalid Characters** | Files or folders with URL paths exceeding 400 characters or names containing invalid characters such as ''#'' will fail to process. Ensure file and folder names are concise and free of special characters to avoid capture failures. |

==== 📊 Monitoring Activity ====

| 📂 Review captured items under Recycle Bin Capture Activity. | {{:software:squirrel:rb_progress.png?400}} |
| 🧾 Logs display site name, file name, size, deleted date, deleted by, stage, and status. | |
| 🔄 Use the refresh icon to reload activity and check for items awaiting processing. | |

==== ✅ Best Practices ====

Set a grace period to allow for natural user recovery before automated capture.

Align the retention period with your compliance or legal hold requirements.

Regularly review the activity dashboard for capture conflicts or failed recovery attempts.

Use site exclusions to prevent unnecessary monitoring of test or temporary sites.