Purging & permanently deleting system records

Learn how to permanently delete system records, including bookings and booking form fields.

Accessing the features mentioned in this article

Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

• Manage > System > Database > Admin > Purge System Records
  
  

What more do I need to use this feature?

• Admin permissions to manage your account.

There may be times when it's necessary to delete data from your Checkfront account. You undoubtedly have created a series of test bookings to try out the system thoroughly. These bookings affect your stats and reporting, so removing the data from your account is important.

You need to purge the data from the system via the Purge System Records page (Manage > System > Database > Admin > Purge System Records) in your Checkfront dashboard.

Only accounts with full administrative privileges can purge data to ensure the safety and integrity of your account data.

You can delete select data sets from the Purge System Records page. First, check the boxes to the left of the data sets you wish to purge. The available data sets for purging depend on the version of Checkfront that you're using.

You can also delete past bookings and/or Customer data up to a selected calendar date. This can be helpful to improve processing performance or to comply with government data regulations and Customer privacy expectations.

All dates are selected by default, so uncheck All to choose a date from the Before calendar.

Next, enter Your Password to confirm your authority and intentions. Click Purge Records and agree to delete the selected records in the confirmation box that shows.

Once you have purged data, you cannot restore it. Use with caution and be sure to take a backup (Manage > System > Database > Export) or via the Export Backup option on the Purge System Records page before you continue. This cannot be re-imported into your or any other Checkfront account, but you will have the information for external use should you need it.

Note that, in the case of Booking Form Fields and Email & SMS Notifications, the counter to the right of the record label will not reset to zero after a purge. This is because the counter total includes both system and custom fields. System fields cannot be deleted. For example, if the Booking Form Fields total is 25, there are 15 system fields and 10 custom fields. After a purge, the custom fields will be deleted, and the system fields will be reset to their default state. Therefore, the total will now show 15.

Deleting an individual booking

If you need to remove an individual booking rather than all the bookings in your system, please refer to Cancelling or voiding bookings via booking invoices.