How long inspection images should be kept
Defect thumbnails should be kept at least until the complaint window ends. Packaging orders are often kept 12 months; a longer contract wins. Full frames of labels that passed are usually kept days to a few weeks, or the disk fills and real defect images are overwritten. Do not promise permanent storage if no period is
Defect thumbnails should be kept at least until the complaint window ends. Packaging orders are often kept for 12 months. If the contract names a longer time, use the contract. Full frames of labels that all passed are usually kept for days to a few weeks. Otherwise the disk fills first and the real defect images are the ones overwritten. If no period is written, do not promise permanent storage.
Do not give both kinds of image one period
A full frame is the complete picture of every label. There are many of them, and they help a complaint little, because a label that passed is rarely the one asked about. A defect thumbnail is small, and it is the only evidence when the customer asks what was seen at the time. When space is short, shorten the days kept for full frames. Do not overwrite defect images that are still inside the complaint window.
If the contract does not name a number of days, write it on the quote or the ticket: defect images 12 months, and the number of days for full frames. Do not wait for a disk alarm and then delete in a hurry.
Retention
| Image | When the contract is silent | When the disk is short |
|---|---|---|
| Defect thumbnails and review records | At least the complaint window, often 12 months | Touched last |
| Full frames that passed | Days to a few weeks | Shorten this class first |
| The contract names a longer time | Follow the contract | Add capacity first. Do not shorten defect images |
Check at a job change
- Read this job’s complaint window or the contract days.
- Confirm the delete job will not touch defect images still inside that period.
- Write on the report how long each of the two kinds of image is kept.
