Overview
Billy now lets you archive documents instead of deleting them. Archiving hides a document from your default Documents view while keeping it fully retained for audit, search, and historical reference. It's the digital equivalent of moving a paper file from your "Current" drawer into your "Expired" drawer — out of the way, but never gone.
This is especially useful for vendors who accumulate many documents over time (10, 20, or more) — your team can keep the active view clean while still preserving every document Billy has ever stored.
Who This Is For
Compliance admins and accounting teams who:
Manage vendors with long document histories (multiple COIs, prequal forms, W-9s, certifications across years)
Want a clear separation between current and historical documents
Need to keep an audit trail of every document ever submitted, even if it's no longer active
Don't want to delete documents but also don't want to scroll past expired records every day
Active vs. Archived: What's the Difference?
Every document in Billy is now in one of two states:
State | Where It Shows Up | Use It For |
Active (default) | The default Documents list, search results, compliance views | Current, in-use documents |
Archived | Hidden by default — visible only when filter is set to Archived or All | Old, expired, or superseded documents you want to keep for audit but not see day-to-day |
All documents are Active by default. Archiving is a deliberate action — Billy never archives anything automatically.
How to Archive a Document
Step 1: Open the Document
Find the document in the Documents list (or on the vendor's Company Profile page). Click the 3 dots next to the document, or open the document detail view.
Step 2: Click Archive
Click Archive. Billy will confirm the action — once archived, the document is moved out of the active view immediately.
💡 Tip: Archiving a document does not delete it. The document, its metadata, and any compliance history tied to it are fully preserved. You can restore it at any time. |
Bulk Archiving
For vendors with long document histories, you can archive multiple documents at once instead of one at a time:
Multi-select archive: Select multiple documents using the checkboxes in the Documents list, then click Archive Selected.
Archive all expired: Use the Archive All Expired action to move every expired document for a vendor into the archived state in one click.
Bulk actions are the fastest way to clean up after onboarding a vendor with years of historical paperwork, or after a renewal cycle when many policies have expired and been replaced.
Viewing Archived Documents
Archived documents are hidden by default. To see them, use the view filter at the top of the Documents list:
Active (default) — shows only Active documents
Archived — shows only Archived documents
All — shows everything, with a visual indicator on archived rows
When the filter includes Archived, search works across archived documents as well — so you can always find a historical record by vendor name, policy number, or date when you need it for an audit.
PRO TIP
Archived documents remain accessible via direct link. If you have a saved URL or a link from a past compliance report, the document will still open — even if it's been archived since.
How to Restore (Unarchive) a Document
If you archived a document by mistake, or you need to bring an old document back into active rotation:
Switch the view filter to Archived or All.
Find the document and click the 3 dots.
Click Restore. The document moves back to the Active view immediately.
Restoring a document does not change its expiration date, review status, or any other metadata. It simply moves the document back to the active state.
Audit Trail
Every archive and restore action is recorded in Billy's audit log. For each action, the log captures:
The action taken (Archive or Restore)
Which user performed the action
The exact date and time
The document the action was performed on
This means you can always answer "who archived this and when?" — useful during audits, internal reviews, or when investigating a missing document.
Archiving and Compliance History
Archiving never affects historical compliance records. If a document was used as evidence in a past compliance evaluation — for example, if a vendor was marked compliant on a project last year based on a COI that's now expired and archived — the historical record stays intact:
Past compliance evaluations continue to reference the archived document correctly
Audit logs retain full visibility into which document was active at any given point in time
Reports run for prior periods reflect the document's state at that time, not its current archived status
In short: archiving is a presentation choice, not a data change. Nothing about the document's role in your compliance history is altered.
When to Archive (and When Not To)
Good times to archive:
After a vendor renews a COI and the old policy is no longer needed for active reference
When onboarding a vendor with years of historical documents and you only want the current versions visible
After a compliance cycle wraps and a batch of forms is no longer current
When not to archive:
A document is the current, active proof of compliance — keep it Active
A document is under review or has pending notes to the vendor — finish the review first
You're tempted to delete the document — archiving is the right move; deletion is not necessary and is not recommended for compliance retention
Frequently Asked Questions
Is archiving the same as deleting?
No. Archiving hides a document from the default view but preserves the document file, its metadata, and its full audit history. Deletion is a separate, more restrictive action and is generally not recommended for compliance documents.
Can archived documents still be downloaded?
Yes. Archived documents are fully downloadable when viewed under the Archived or All filter, or when accessed via a direct link.
Will archiving an old COI affect my reports?
Reports for the current period reflect only Active documents by default. Reports for historical periods continue to reflect the document's state at that time, so an archived document still shows up correctly in past audit reports if it was Active during the reporting window.
Who can archive and restore documents?
Admin users can archive and restore documents. Each action is recorded in the audit log along with the user who performed it.
Can I archive a document that's currently the active proof of compliance?
It's allowed, but generally not recommended — archiving the current active document for a requirement may flag the vendor as missing that document until a new one is uploaded. Archive only documents that are no longer the active version.
Will the vendor see that a document was archived?
No. Archiving is an internal organizational action and is not visible to vendors. They continue to see the same upload portal and won't be notified when a historical document is archived or restored.
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📌 Need help? Contact the Billy support team via the chat bubble below or visit billyforinsurance.com.