Archiving vs deleting: what's the difference
In short: Archiving puts something away and can be undone. Deleting is permanent. Whichever you use, the record of who had which keys stays.
When it matters: When you’re tidying up a property you no longer hold keys for, a contact you’ll never deal with again or a hook number you typed wrong, and you want to know whether you can get it back if you’re wrong.
Archiving
Archiving is for things you’re finished with but might want again. An archived item drops out of your everyday lists, and Restore brings it back.
Assets are the thing you archive. Archiving one takes its key sets with it, frees their fobs and puts their key / hook numbers back in the pool for the next asset, all of it reversible. See How to archive and restore an asset.
An archived asset can stay archived indefinitely. There’s no second step that finally removes it, and nothing is charged for keeping it.
Deleting
Deleting is permanent. There’s no archive to fall back on and no way to restore it. If you delete something and need it later, you’re creating it again from scratch.
You delete the things that are labels and lists rather than history:
- A contact you’ll never hand keys to again. See How to view, edit and delete a contact.
- An asset type that doesn’t describe anything you hold. See How to manage asset types.
- A key / hook number that was added by mistake. See Understanding key / hook numbers.
- A key store you no longer keep keys in. See How to manage key stores.
Keyhive won’t let you delete something that’s still in use. A contact holding a key, an asset type with assets on it, a hook number attached to an asset and a store that still holds key sets are all refused, with a message telling you what to resolve first.
A key that’s gone
There’s a third case, and it’s neither of the above: a key set that’s been lost, handed over or retired while it was checked out. That’s closed as won’t be returned: you pick a reason, the key set is removed and its fob is freed. See How to close a checkout for a key that won’t come back.
Which one you want
| Archive | Delete | Won’t be returned | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can you undo it? | Yes, Restore | No | No |
| What it’s for | Something real you’ve finished with | A label or record you don’t need | A key set that’s physically gone |
| Used on | Assets | Contacts, asset types, key / hook numbers, key stores | An open checkout |
If you’re unsure, archive. It costs nothing to leave something archived, and you can always delete it later, but you can’t undelete.
Good to know
- Archiving and deleting need admin access. Both are limited to the Manager and Admin roles. Everyday staff can create and edit records, and close checkouts, including as won’t be returned, but not put records away or remove them.
- Your history survives all three. Every checkout, covering who took the keys, when, and how it ended, is kept whatever you archive, delete or write off. Deleting a contact doesn’t wipe the checkouts with their name on.
- Archived assets are still findable. They appear in the search bar at the top of the page with an Archived badge, so putting one away doesn’t mean losing track of it.
- Archiving frees things up. Fobs and hook numbers go back into the pool the moment you archive, so another asset can use them. That’s why a restored asset comes back without its fobs, and may need a different hook number.
- Editing isn’t a substitute for either. Renaming an old asset to match a new one carries the previous holder’s checkouts across to it. Archive the old asset and create a new one instead.