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How Does Valprovia Governance Solve This Problem?
Valprovia Governance offers a second, more precise method alongside the standard inactivity detection based on Microsoft's Activity Report: Extended Archiving with SharePoint Search Queries.
Instead of asking "Did someone write in the Teams chat?", Extended Archiving asks: "Has the SharePoint library of this workspace actually been used for document work?" The answer is delivered by the SharePoint Search Index — queried with KQL (Keyword Query Language), the native query language of SharePoint.
What Is Measured?
Extended Archiving checks date-related SharePoint properties such as LastModifiedTime (When was the last document edited?) or LastItemModifiedDate (When was the library last modified?). These properties reflect actual document work — regardless of whether there is any activity in the Teams chat.
How Is It Configured?
Administrators configure Extended Archiving in the Valprovia Governance administration interface per Provisioning Solution. Three settings control the check:
| Setting | What It Does | Example |
| Managed Property | Defines which SharePoint property is checked | LastModifiedTime |
| Search Query | Defines the KQL query against the SharePoint Search Index | LastModifiedTime>2025-01-01 |
| Fallback Period | Protects new workspaces without documents from immediate archiving | 90 days |
What Happens Automatically?
Once configured, Valprovia Governance automatically and regularly checks all workspaces of that Provisioning Solution against the configured KQL query. When a workspace reaches the inactivity threshold — meaning no document in the SharePoint library has been edited since the configured period — the archiving process starts automatically.
Before archiving, workspace owners are notified through up to three configurable notification stages. Owners can postpone archiving if needed, provided the administrator has enabled this option.
Extended Archiving vs. Standard Inactivity Detection: A Comparison
| Criterion | Standard (O365 Activity Report) | Extended Archiving (SharePoint Search) |
| Data source | Microsoft Graph API — Teams Activity Report | SharePoint Search Index — KQL Queries |
| What counts as activity | Chats, reactions, meetings, calls, file shares | Actual document changes in SharePoint |
| Granularity | Team level (all communication) | Library level (specific document properties) |
| Configurability | None — Microsoft defines what "active" means | Fully configurable via KQL queries and Managed Properties |
| Typical issue | False positives: Teams appear active through chat, even though no productive work is happening | Only measures what is configured — precise and traceable |
Both methods can be activated in parallel in Valprovia Governance. The standard method is suitable for Teams where communication is the primary purpose — such as departmental teams or community channels. Extended Archiving is the better choice for project-based workspaces where document work is the actual activity indicator.
Microsoft Inactivity vs. Valprovia Extended Archiving: The Full Comparison
| Microsoft (native) | Valprovia Governance | |
| What is measured? | Chats, reactions, meetings, calls, file shares | Actual document changes in SharePoint |
| Activity definition | Fixed by Microsoft — not changeable | Freely configurable via KQL queries and SharePoint Managed Properties |
| Detection accuracy | High false positive rate: chat activity masks missing productivity | Precise: measures only the document work that actually occurs |
| Reporting period | Last 28 days — no historical data | Unlimited — the SharePoint Search Index stores modification data permanently |
| Automatic archiving | Not natively available — manual action only | Fully automated with configurable rules, notifications, and postponement |
| Notifications before archiving | Not available | Up to three stages, configurable by time unit and interval |
| Owner postponement | Not possible | Configurable: number of postponements and duration per postponement |
| Protection for new workspaces | Not relevant — no archiving | Fallback period protects new workspaces without documents |
| Standalone SharePoint Sites | Not covered — report applies to Teams only | Teams onlyFully supported — same rules for Teams and SharePoint Sites |
| Compliance & audit | No traceable archiving decision | Objective, auditable criterion: "No document change for X days" |
| IT effort | Manual: export reports, check workspaces individually | Automated: configure the rule once, runs independently |
Review all relevant aspects step by step and ensure optimal governance.
What Concrete Benefits Does Extended Archiving Provide?
More Precise Detection of Inactive Workspaces
Extended Archiving identifies workspaces that Microsoft's Activity Report overlooks — because occasional chat activity skews detection. The archiving decision is based on the actual use of SharePoint content, not on communication metrics.
Reduced Manual Effort for IT Teams
Without Extended Archiving, IT administrators must manually review workspaces to distinguish real projects from ghost Teams. With automated SharePoint-based detection, this effort is eliminated — archiving runs rule-based and traceably.
Auditable Archiving Decisions
In regulated industries such as financial services or healthcare, archiving decisions must be traceable and auditable. "The SharePoint library has not been edited in 180 days" is an objective, verifiable criterion. "The team had no chat activity in the last 28 days" is not.
Full Control Over the Activity Definition
Microsoft's Activity Report dictates what counts as activity — administrators have no influence. With Extended Archiving, you decide: Which SharePoint property is relevant? Which period qualifies as inactive? Which KQL query reflects the business reality of your organization?
Cost Control Through Targeted Cleanup
Every inactive workspace consumes SharePoint storage quota and Microsoft 365 license resources. Extended Archiving makes visible the workspaces that actually consume storage without being productively used — and archives them automatically.
Which Scenarios Is Extended Archiving Particularly Suited For?
Project-Based Workspaces
Project teams typically have an active phase with intensive document work, followed by a phase where only occasional chat communication occurs. Standard detection keeps the team "alive" through chat activity, even though the project is complete. Extended Archiving detects that no file has been edited for weeks and initiates archiving.
Compliance-Driven Environments
In industries with strict retention requirements, workspaces must be demonstrably archived after project completion. The archiving decision based on actual document activity is auditable and meets the requirements of internal and external auditors.
SharePoint-Heavy Working Styles
Many teams use SharePoint as their primary work tool, while Teams communication happens via private chats or other channels. In these cases, SharePoint activity reflects actual usage far more accurately than the Teams Activity Report.
What Happens When a Workspace Has No Documents Yet?
When the SharePoint search returns no results for a workspace — for example, because the workspace was recently created and contains no documents — the configured fallback period kicks in. This defines a grace period in days.
A fallback of 90 days means: a new workspace has at least 90 days before inactivity archiving can apply — even if no documents were ever uploaded. This mechanism prevents empty or freshly created workspaces from being archived immediately, and gives teams sufficient time to get their project started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which SharePoint properties can I use for the query?
Valprovia Governance supports all Managed Properties available in the SharePoint Search Schema. The most common ones for lifecycle management are LastModifiedTime (last document edit), LastItemModifiedDate (last modification in a library), and Created (creation date). Custom Managed Properties are also usable, provided they are configured as queryable in the SharePoint Search Schema.
Does Extended Archiving also work for standalone SharePoint Sites?
Yes, Extended Archiving works for both Teams-connected workspaces and standalone SharePoint Sites. Valprovia Governance checks all workspaces of a Provisioning Solution against the configured KQL query, regardless of workspace type.
Can workspace owners prevent archiving?
Yes, provided the administrator has activated the postponement feature. Workspace owners are notified in up to three stages before archiving and can postpone archiving by a configurable period. The maximum number of postponements is also adjustable.
What happens after archiving — can workspaces be restored?
Yes, Valprovia Governance supports full restoration for all archiving stages. Upon restoration, all lifecycle settings are recalculated based on the current configuration, including Extended Archiving parameters.
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Summary
Microsoft's native Teams Activity Report measures communication, not productivity — and thereby keeps Teams artificially active that should have been archived long ago. Extended Archiving in Valprovia Governance gives IT administrators and decision-makers control back: archiving decisions are based on actual document activity in SharePoint, configurable via KQL queries and fully automated.
Learn more about Valprovia Governance and automated lifecycle management →