Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2

Topic Last Modified: 2012-07-23

In Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, messaging records management (MRM) is performed by using retention tags and retention policies. A retention policy is a group of retention tags that can be applied to a mailbox. Managed folders, the MRM technology introduced in Exchange Server 2007, are supported for interoperability.

A mailbox that has a managed folder mailbox policy applied can be migrated to use a retention policy. To do so, you must create retention tags that are equivalent to the managed folders linked to the user's managed folder mailbox policy.

Important:
Before you migrate from managed folders to retention policies in your production environment, we recommend that you test the process in a test environment.

Looking for other management tasks related to MRM? Check out Deploying Messaging Records Management.

Comparing Retention Tags to Managed Folders

Unlike managed folders, which require users to move items to a managed folder based on retention settings, retention tags can be applied to a folder or an individual item in the mailbox. This process has minimal impact on the user's workflow and e-mail organization methods. When a folder has retention tags applied, all items in that folder inherit the retention settings. Users can further specify retention settings by applying different retention tags to individual items in that folder.

Managed folders support different managed content settings for a folder, each with a different message class (such as e-mail items or calendar items). Retention tags don't require a separate managed content settings object because the retention settings are specified in the tag's properties. It isn't supported to create retention tags for particular message classes. Retention tags also don't allow you to use journaling (which is performed by the Managed Folder Assistant).

The following table compares the MRM functionality available when using retention tags or managed folders.

Retention tags vs. managed folders

Functionality Retention tags Managed folders

Specify retention settings for default folders (such as Inbox)

Use retention policy tags (RPTs)

Use managed default folders

Specify retention settings for entire mailbox

Use a default policy tag (DPT)

Use managed default folders

Use retention settings for custom folders

Use personal tags

Using managed custom folders

Require managed content settings

No (retention settings included in a retention tag)

Yes

Use retention settings for different message classes (such as e-mail messages, voice mail, or calendar items)

No

Yes

Support the Move To Archive action, which moves items to the user's archive mailbox

Yes

No

Support the Move To Managed Folder action

No

Yes

Allow journaling using the Managed Folder Assistant

No

Yes

Policy applied to user

Retention policy

Managed folder mailbox policy

Maximum number of policies that can be applied to a mailbox user

1

1

Processed by the Managed Folder Assistant

Yes

Yes

Client support

Microsoft Outlook 2010 and Office Outlook Web App

Outlook 2010, Office Outlook 2007, and Outlook Web App

Use the Shell to migrate mailbox users from managed folders

Note:
You can't use the EMC to migrate mailbox users from managed folders.

For the following procedures, Contoso mailboxes have a managed folder mailbox policy applied containing the following managed folders.

Managed folders for Contoso

Managed folder Managed content settings Retention enabled Retention age Retention action

Corp-DeletedItems

CS-Corp-DeletedItems

Yes

30 days

Delete and Allow Recovery

Corp-SentItems

CS-Corp-SentItems

Yes

1,825 days

Move to Deleted Items

Corp-JunkMail

CS-Corp-JunkMail

Yes

30 days

Permanently Delete

Corp-EntireMailbox

CS-Corp-EntireMailbox

Yes

365 days

Move to Deleted Items

30 Days

CS-30Days

Yes

30 days

Move to Deleted Items

5 Years

CS-5Years

Yes

1,825 days

Move to Deleted Items

Never Expire

CS-NeverExpire

No

365 days

Not applicable

The following are general steps for migrating users from this managed folder mailbox policy to a retention policy. Each step is detailed later in this topic:

  1. Create retention tags for the migration.

  2. Create a retention policy and link the newly created retention tags to the policy.

  3. Apply the retention policy to user mailboxes.

    Important:
    After you apply the retention policy to a user and the Managed Folder Assistant runs, the managed folders in the user's mailbox become unmanaged.

Step 1: Create retention tags for the migration

There are two methods you can use for this step:

  • Create retention tags based on the managed folders and their corresponding managed content settings. With this method, you use the New-RetentionPolicyTag cmdlet with the ManagedFolderToUpgrade parameter. When you specify this parameter, the corresponding retention tag is automatically applied to the managed folder.

  • Create retention tags by manually specifying the retention settings. With this method, you use the New-RetentionPolicyTag cmdlet without the ManagedFolderToUpgrade parameter. When you don't specify this parameter, any retention policy tags you add to the policy are applied to the default folders, and the default policy tag is applied to the entire mailbox. However, any personal tags you add to the policy aren't automatically applied to the managed folders.

Create retention tags based on managed folders

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Messaging records management" entry in the Messaging Policy and Compliance Permissions topic.

This example creates retention tags based on the corresponding managed content settings shown in the Contoso managed folder mailbox policy.

Copy Code
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-DeletedItems -ManagedFolderToUpgrade Corp-DeletedItems
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-SentItems -ManagedFolderToUpgrade Corp-SentItems
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-JunkMail -ManagedFolderToUpgrade Corp-JunkMail
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-EntireMailbox -ManagedFolderToUpgrade Corp-EntireMailbox
New-RetentionPolicyTag 30Days -ManagedFolderToUpgrade 30Days
New-RetentionPolicyTag 5Years -ManagedFolderToUpgrade 5Years
New-RetentionPolicyTag NeverExpire -ManagedFolderToUpgrade NeverExpire

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see New-RetentionPolicyTag.

Create retention tags manually

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Messaging records management" entry in the Messaging Policy and Compliance Permissions topic.

This example creates retention tags based on the managed folders and corresponding managed content settings shown in the Contoso managed folder mailbox policy. The retention settings are specified manually without using the ManagedFolderToUpgrade parameter.

Copy Code
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-DeletedItems -Type DeletedItems -RetentionEnabled $true -AgeLimitForRetention 30 -RetentionAction DeleteAndAllowRecovery
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-SentItems -Type SentItems -RetentionEnabled $true -AgeLimitforRetention 1825 -RetentionAction MoveToDeletedItems
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-JunkMail -Type JunkMail -RetentionEnabled $true -AgeLimitforRetention 30 -RetentionAction PermanentlyDelete
New-RetentionPolicyTag Corp-EntireMailbox -Type All -RetentionEnabled $true -AgeLimitForRetention 365 -RetentionAction MoveToDeletedItems
New-RetentionPolicyTag 30Days -Type Personal -RetentionEnabled $true -AgeLimitForRetention 30 -RetentionAction MoveToDeletedItems
New-RetentionPolicyTag 5Years -Type Personal -RetentionEnabled $true -AgeLimitForRetention 1825 -RetentionAction MoveToDeletedItems
New-RetentionPolicyTag NeverExpire -Type Personal -RetentionEnabled $false

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see New-RetentionPolicyTag.

Step 2: Create a retention policy

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Messaging records management" entry in the Messaging Policy and Compliance Permissions topic.

This example creates the retention policy RP-Corp and links the newly created retention tags to the policy.

Copy Code
New-RetentionPolicy RP-Corp -RetentionPolicyTagLinks Corp-DeletedItems,Corp-SentItems,Corp-JunkMail,Corp-EntireMailbox,30Days,NeverExpire

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see New-RetentionPolicy.

Step 3: Apply the retention policy to user mailboxes

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Applying retention policies" entry in the Messaging Policy and Compliance Permissions topic.

This example applies the newly created retention policy RP-Corp to the mailbox user Ken Kwok.

Copy Code
Set-Mailbox -Identity Kwok -RetentionPolicy RP-Corp

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Set-Mailbox.