Deleting a Compliance Rule

Overview

When a compliance rule is no longer needed, you can delete it to keep your rules list clean and relevant. Deleting a rule permanently removes the rule configuration and all associated alerts (both active and resolved).

This guide covers how to delete a single rule and how to delete multiple rules at once.

Before You Begin

Before deleting a compliance rule, make sure you have:

• At least one compliance rule in the selected organization
• Access to the Compliance Alerts dashboard
• Certainty that you no longer need the rule or its alert history

Important: Deleting a rule is permanent and cannot be undone. Both the rule configuration and all associated alerts are permanently removed. If you might need the rule again in the future, consider pausing it instead.
See Pausing and Activating Compliance Rules.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Delete a Single Rule

1. Navigate to Compliance Alerts from the Safeguard main menu
2. Click the Rules tab
3. Find the rule you want to delete
4. Click the overflow menu icon in the Actions column
5. Click Delete

What you will see:
A confirmation modal opens displaying the name of the rule being deleted, the number of associated alerts (active and resolved) that will also be deleted, a warning that this action cannot be undone, and a text input field.

1. Type DELETE in the text input field (case-sensitive)
2. Click the Delete button

What you will see:
The Delete button remains disabled until you type DELETE in the confirmation field. Once confirmed, a success or error notification appears. The rule and its alerts are removed from the dashboard, and the rule and alert counts update automatically.

Step 2: Delete Multiple Rules (Batch Delete)

1. Navigate to Compliance Alerts from the Safeguard main menu
2. Click the Rules tab
3. Select the checkboxes next to the rules you want to delete
4. Click the Delete Rule button that appears at the top of the table

What you will see: A confirmation modal opens displaying the number of rules being deleted, a list of the rule names, the total number of associated alerts across all selected rules, a warning that this action cannot be undone, and a text input field.

1. Type DELETE in the text input field
2. Click the Delete button

What you will see: All selected rules and their associated alerts are permanently removed. The dashboard updates automatically to reflect the changes.

What Happens When You Delete a Rule

Understanding the full impact of deletion helps you make an informed decision:

• The rule configuration is permanently removed. Settings, targets, and sources cannot be recovered.
• All associated alerts are permanently deleted. This includes both active and resolved alerts. They are removed from the Alerts tab entirely.
• Dashboard counts update automatically. The total number of rules and alerts reflected on the dashboard adjusts immediately after deletion.
• Other rules are not affected. Deleting one rule has no impact on any other rules, even if they monitor similar settings or targets.

Best Practices

Before deleting:

• Review the rule information page to confirm you are deleting the correct rule. See Viewing Rule Information.
• If you need to preserve the rule configuration for future use, duplicate it before deleting. See Duplicating a Compliance Rule.
• If you only need to stop alerts temporarily, pause the rule instead of deleting it. See Pausing and Activating Compliance Rules.

For keeping your rules list organized:

• Periodically review your rules and delete any that are no longer relevant
• After duplicating a rule and confirming the new version works as expected, delete the original if it is redundant

Common Questions

Q: Can I recover a deleted rule?
A: No. Deletion is permanent. The rule and all its alerts are irrecoverably removed. If you are unsure, pause the rule instead of deleting it.

Q: What happens to the alerts associated with a deleted rule?
A: All alerts (active and resolved) associated with the deleted rule are permanently removed from the Alerts tab.

Q: Can I delete a rule that is currently active?
A: Yes. You can delete a rule regardless of whether it is Active or Inactive.

Q: Does deleting a rule affect other rules that monitor similar settings?
A: No. Each rule operates independently. Deleting one rule has no impact on any other rule.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to delete rules, you might want to:

• Create a new rule
  Set up fresh monitoring with updated parameters.
  See Creating a Compliance Rule.
• Review your remaining rules
  Check the dashboard to ensure your active rules cover your compliance needs.
  See Navigating the Compliance Alerts Dashboard.
• Pause rules instead of deleting
  Preserve rule configurations for future use by disabling them temporarily. See Pausing and Activating Compliance Rules.