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Delete Change Log Entry without using Retention Policies

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Posted on by Peter Nguyen

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Hello,

Could I use Code Unit to delete some record in Change Log Entry Table (405) directly without Retention Policies function ?

If it is possible, are there any notes when deleting directly record in Change Log Entry table ?

Thank you.

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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Pallavi Phade 5,420 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Namaste @Peter Nguyen

You can delete change log entries , but if records are huge then it will be get into deadlock . Would suggest deletion in batches .

Warm Regards

Pallavi Phade

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Peter Nguyen 125 on at

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Thank you Pallavi Phade

I will set filter when delete the records.

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Valentin Castravet 32,157 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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As mentioned there's no problem deleting them using a codeunit.

Valentin Castravet
Work: Zander ERP Services
Blog: Dynamics 365 Business Central Insights
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/valentin-c-0500a247/

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RockwithNav 8,941 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Any specific reason to ignore Retention Policies?

You can delete there's no any linking for change log so no complain from system side.

On NAV 2013 version's I have used SQL to delete change log on a strict filter basis.

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Gerardo Rentería Ga... 25,555 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi, good day
I hope this can help you, and give you some hints.

Business Central 2025 wave 2 (BC27): Truncating table data with new AL method (procedure Truncate) | Dynamics 365 Lab

Best Regards
Gerardo

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OussamaSabbouh 12,808 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello,

Yes, you can delete Change Log Entries (table 405) with your own codeunit.

BC doesn’t block it.

But:

It bypasses Retention Policies and audit logging.

Only delete from table 405, never from the Change Log Setup tables (402–404).

Do it in batches for performance if the table is large.

So: technically allowed, but use carefully.

Regards,

Oussama Sabbouh

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YUN ZHU 99,055 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi, No problem, even posted data can be deleted through Codeunit.

And hope the following can give you some hints.

Business Central 2021 wave 2 (BC19): Data archive extension (Data Archive List page)

https://yzhums.com/19180/

Thanks.

ZHU

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Jainam M. Kothari 15,732 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello,

Yes, you can delete records from the Change Log Entry table (405) directly using AL code in a Codeunit.

Direct deletion can impact compliance and auditing, cause performance issues if done in bulk, and should only be performed with proper permissions and after taking a backup. It’s best to apply filters (e.g., date range, Table ID) and delete in batches to avoid locking

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