# Retention, legal holds, exports and Discovery API

*Slack Consultant Study Guide · Policies and Settings · Last updated October 21, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/slack-consultant/policies-and-settings/retention-legal-holds-exports-and-discovery-api*

Which Slack compliance tool fits which requirement: retention policies set per workspace or for the whole org, legal holds and their Slack Connect exclusion, exports by plan, and the Discovery API with eDiscovery and DLP partner apps.

- Certification: Salesforce Slack Consultant
- Exam section: Policies and Settings
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/slack-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Understand Slack compliance capabilities.

## What the exam expects

- Recommend where a retention policy belongs: per workspace, or one org-level policy set through Slack Support and approved by the Org Primary Owner.
- Explain how retention works in a Slack Connect channel when the two organizations keep data for different periods.
- Describe legal holds: who places them, what they preserve, what they never cover, and what can change after creation.
- Match an export requirement to the plan: public-channel export, the self-serve export tool for all conversations, or the Discovery API.
- Choose between an eDiscovery partner and a data loss prevention (DLP) partner on the Discovery API, and know who enables it.

Key terms:

- **Retention policy**: how long Slack keeps content before deleting it automatically.
- **Legal hold**: preservation of named custodians' messages and files in Slack.
- **Self-serve export tool**: an applied-for export of all conversations, including private channels and DMs.
- **Discovery API**: the Enterprise API that approved partner apps use to export or act on content.
- **eDiscovery vs DLP**: archive-and-search (read-only) versus scan-and-quarantine (read and write).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Org-level retention | Org Owner contacts Slack Support; Org Primary Owner approves via Slackbot | [Retention](https://slack.com/help/articles/203457187-Customize-message-and-file-retention-policies) |
| After an org policy | Workspace Owners can't adjust message retention by default | [Retention](https://slack.com/help/articles/203457187-Customize-message-and-file-retention-policies) |
| Slack Connect retention | Each org's settings cover only its own members' messages and files | [Import and export tools](https://slack.com/help/articles/204897248-guide-to-slack-import-and-export-tools) |
| Legal hold size | Up to 1,000 custodians per hold; unlimited holds | [Legal holds](https://slack.com/help/articles/4401830811795-Create-and-manage-legal-holds) |
| Legal hold exclusions | Slack Connect conversations, Sales Home notifications, emoji reactions, snippet version history | [Legal holds](https://slack.com/help/articles/4401830811795-Create-and-manage-legal-holds) |
| Business+ all-conversation export | Workspace Owner applies for the self-serve tool; Workspace Primary Owner approves | [Export your workspace data](https://slack.com/help/articles/201658943-Export-your-workspace-data) |
| Who enables the Discovery API | Org Primary Owner or an Org Owner requests; all Org Owners can then use it | [Discovery APIs](https://slack.com/help/articles/360002079527-A-guide-to-Slacks-Discovery-APIs) |
| Edits and deletions via Discovery API | Only if preserved by retention policies or legal holds | [Discovery APIs](https://slack.com/help/articles/360002079527-A-guide-to-Slacks-Discovery-APIs) |
| Enterprise+ only | Legal holds, Discovery API, native DLP, single-user exports | [Slack plans](https://slack.com/help/articles/115003205446-Slack-plans-and-features) |

## Check yourself

- Why does a legal hold not help when the requirement is a searchable copy in a third-party archive?
- When can the Discovery API return a message a member edited or deleted?
- Which parts of a legal hold can an admin change after creating it?
- When a Business+ HR team needs DMs for an investigation, what should a Workspace Owner do?

## Sources

- [A guide to Slack's Discovery APIs](https://slack.com/help/articles/360002079527-A-guide-to-Slacks-Discovery-APIs)
- [Create and manage legal holds](https://slack.com/help/articles/4401830811795-Create-and-manage-legal-holds)
- [Guide to Slack import and export tools](https://slack.com/help/articles/204897248-guide-to-slack-import-and-export-tools)
- [Customize data retention in Slack](https://slack.com/help/articles/203457187-Customize-message-and-file-retention-policies)
- [Export your workspace data](https://slack.com/help/articles/201658943-Export-your-workspace-data)
- [Use the Discovery API for Data Security Integrations](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/data-protection-with-slack/use-the-discovery-api-for-data-security-integrations)
- [Slack plans and features](https://slack.com/help/articles/115003205446-Slack-plans-and-features)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Slack Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams