MEDIAL | How to Create and Manage Content Policies

Maintaining a healthy media library means balancing accessibility with storage management. Content policies let you automate that balance so old or unused media is archived or removed without manual effort. In this guide I will walk you step by step through creating a content policy in MEDIAL, previewing and starting the policy, monitoring the archive process, and restoring files when they are needed again. Follow these clear steps to free up storage, keep your library tidy, and ensure important files remain recoverable.

Table of Contents

• Why use content policies

• Overview of the process

• Step 1. Create a new policy

• Step 2. Set the period to target files

• Step 3. Filter by LMS or platform

• Step 4. Apply the policy to users or groups

• Step 5. Choose the action: archive or delete

• Step 6. Preview affected content and start

• Step 7. Monitor and restore files

• Common scenarios

• Frequently asked questions

• Need more help

• Summary

Why use content policies

Content policies are a powerful way to automate housekeeping for your MEDIAL instance. Typical use cases include archiving student submissions at the end of an academic year, removing content that has not been played for a long period, or deleting content that has negligible engagement. Policies help you reclaim disk space and keep the media library performant while preserving the ability to restore files if someone needs them later.

Overview of the process

• Name and describe the policy so it is easy to identify

• Set a time period and engagement rules to select which content is targeted

• Apply the policy to users, groups, or categories

• Choose the action: archive or delete, with an optional automatic permanent delete timer

• Preview the list of content to be affected and review estimated disk savings

• Start the policy and allow it to run in the background

• Restore individual files from the archive if needed

Step 1. Create a new policy

Log into MEDIAL and navigate to the Content Policies section. Click New to begin creating a policy. The first thing you do is give your policy a clear name and a short description. Use a name that describes the scope and intent, for example: Archive Student Submissions 2024 2025. A descriptive label makes it fast to find and understand later when you are managing multiple policies.

Step 2. Set the period to target files

Next define the period that determines which media items the policy will consider. You can set two key fields: created after and created before. For archiving an academic year, set created after to the start date of the academic year and created before to the end date you want to include. For example set created after to 2024 09 01 and created before to 2025 09 01 to capture submissions created within that window.

There are additional options to refine selection based on play activity. You can select not played since and set a date so only content that has not been played since that date will be archived. You can also require that content has been played fewer than a specified number of times in a given look back period, such as the last year. If you enter zero for the play count, that rule is ignored and will not restrict selection.

Step 3. Filter by LMS or platform

If you integrate MEDIAL with an LMS or platform, you can restrict the policy to content associated with a specific LMS. This is useful when your instance hosts content for multiple systems or departments and you only want to apply the policy to one integration.

Step 4. Apply the policy to users or groups

Choosing the user or category to which the policy applies is an important control. Click the selector and choose the group or user type that the policy should target. For academic content you may select Students so the policy only targets student submissions. You can also apply policies to staff, course collections, or other categories depending on how your MEDIAL instance is organized.

Step 5. Choose the action: archive or delete

Decide whether the policy will archive or delete the selected content. Deleting removes files immediately and permanently unless you have a separate backup, so use this option with caution. Most administrators choose Archive so content is moved to an archived storage tier and can be restored later if needed.

If you do archive, you have the additional option to permanently delete archived content after a set number of days. This gives you a two stage retention approach: first move content to archive to free primary storage while preserving recoverability, then automatically purge it after a longer retention period if it is no longer needed.

Step 6. Preview affected content and start

Before starting the policy you will see a preview list of all content that matches your rules. This list allows you to deselect individual files if you identify exceptions that should not be processed. The preview also displays the estimated disk space you will save once the policy runs. When you are satisfied with the selection choose Start.

After you press Start the archiving or deletion operation begins. The process continues to run even if you exit the interface, so you can safely navigate away while the backend moves the files to the selected archive storage.

Step 7. Monitor and restore files

Archived content remains accessible through the Restore interface. If an examiner or instructor later needs a specific student submission you can locate the file and restore it back into the media library.

To restore, open the Restore section to view all archived items. Use the search box to find a file quickly by student name, course, or file title. Select the file and click Restore. The item will be transferred back into your media library and will be available for playback and management like any other media asset.

Tips and best practices

• Start with conservative rules and run a preview before applying to a large set of content. The preview helps avoid accidental deletion.

• Use descriptive policy names and descriptions to keep policies understandable over time.

• Combine created date filters with play activity thresholds to target genuinely inactive content rather than all older content.

• Use the automatic permanent delete timer for archived content only when you are confident that long term retention beyond that period is unnecessary.

• Document policy changes so stakeholders know when content will be archived and how to request restores.

Common scenarios

• Archiving an academic year: Create a policy that targets created after the academic year start and created before the next year start, apply to students, and archive files to free space.

• Cleaning up unused media: Target media not played since a given date or with play counts below a threshold to remove stale lecture recordings or test uploads.

• Departmental retention: Apply policies per department or LMS integration to align archiving with department specific retention rules.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decide whether to archive or delete content?

Archive when you want to free primary storage while keeping the ability to restore files later. Delete when you are certain the content is no longer required and you do not need recoverability. Use the two stage approach of archiving then permanently deleting after a set retention period when you want both temporary retainment and long term removal.

Can I exclude specific files from a policy after previewing the selection?

Yes. The preview step lists all media that match your policy rules and lets you deselect individual files before you start the policy. This is the best moment to exclude exceptions.

Will the policy run if I exit the MEDIAL interface after starting it?

Yes. Once you start the policy the process executes on the server and continues running even if you close the browser or navigate away from the page.

How can I find and restore a student's archived submission?

Open the Restore section and use the search field to locate the submission by student name, title, or other metadata. Select the file and click Restore to transfer it back into your media library.

What does setting play count to zero mean in the policy?

If the play count or engagement threshold is set to zero the rule is ignored and the policy will not filter content based on play activity. Use a positive integer to apply a play frequency filter.

Need more help

If you need detailed assistance setting up policies across an entire institution or want help defining retention strategies, MEDIAL support can advise on best practice and configuration. You can visit the MEDIAL website for documentation at www.mmedial.com or contact support by email at supportmedial.com.

Summary

Creating and managing content policies in MEDIAL is a straightforward way to keep your media library organised and under control. By naming your policy clearly, defining precise date and engagement filters, applying it to the correct user groups, and previewing the content before starting, you can confidently archive or delete content while preserving the ability to restore when necessary. Use these steps to save disk space, reduce manual workload, and maintain a clean, user friendly media environment.