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Error: Engagement can't be deleted because it's associated with historical data

You can delete engagements if there isn't any history or data of any type, or references to the project in the database. This helps maintain data integrity.
You may get the error, 
Task cannot be completed because it is associated with historical data.
This occurs when you try to delete an engagement with historical data or a project template associated with historical data.
Historical data includes:
  • Receipts and adjustments
  • Service charges
  • Invoices
  • Time and expense transactions
  • Projects
  • Scheduled items
  • References to the engagement in filters, reports, and report options
You'll need to find and delete all data associated with the engagement so you can delete the engagement.

Recommended method

Client Engagements
Select
Setup
 then
Clients
 for a list of client engagements on the
Engagement
 tab. You can change the
Status
 of an engagement to
Inactive
 if you want to delete an engagement but aren't able to.
Engagement templates
We don't recommend deleting engagement templates because of the large amount of data associated with a template.
Instead of deleting the template, you can follow these steps:
  1. Select
    Setup
    ,
    Templates
    , and then
    Engagements
    .
  2. Change the
    Status
     to
    Inactive
    .

How to find and delete data

You'll need to identify the historical data associated with the item you want to delete. Use
View Details
 to find and delete data like clients or staff. Engagements and engagement templates don't have a list, so you can follow the methods in this article to find that information to delete.

Historical data

Delete all receipts and adjustments.
  1. Select
    Actions
    , then
    Receipt & Adjustment Entry
    .
  2. If the
    Approve and Post
     process is turned on, go to the
    Review
     tab and clear the
    Unapproved only
     and
    Unposted only
     checkboxes. You can then unpost and unapprove all control sheets for the engagement.
  3. Go to the
    Overview
     tab.
  4. Filter for the engagement.
  5. Mark the
    Control Date
     checkbox for all transactions.
  6. Right-click a transaction and select
    Delete Entry
    .
Delete all invoices
  1. Select
    Actions
    , then
    Billing
    .
  2. If the
    Approve and Post
     process is turned on, go to the
    Review
     tab and clear the
    Unapproved only
     and
    Unposted only
     checkboxes.
  3. Filter for the engagement.
  4. Right-click and select
    Select All
    .
  5. Right-click and select
    Delete Selected
    .
  6. Continue to the next steps if services charges prevent you from deleting an invoice.
Delete all service charges.
  1. Use the list of affected clients from the previous steps to delete service charges.
  2. Print a
    Service Charge Journal
     filtered for the client.
  3. Select
    Actions
    , then
    Assess Service Charges
    . Enter a
    Through
     date equal to the newest date on the journal.
  4. Find the service charge and mark the checkbox.
  5. Right-click and select
    Unpost Selected
    .
  6. Unpost each date in reverse order.
Delete all time and expense transactions
  1. Select
    Actions
     then
    Time Entry
    .
  2. If the
    Approve and Post
     process is turned on, go to the
    Review
     tab and clear the
    Unapproved only
     and
    Unposted only
     checkboxes. You can then unpost and unapprove all control sheets for the engagement.
  3. Go to the
    Overview
     tab.
  4. Filter for the engagement.
  5. Select all transactions.
  6. Right-click and select
    Delete Entry
    .
Delete all schedule items (if licensed for Staff Management)
  1. Select
    Actions
    , then
    Manage Staff
    .
  2. Go to the
    Schedule Items
     tab
  3. Select
    Custom Date Range
     and enter
    1/1/1980
     in the 1st date and
    12/31/2029
     in the 2nd date.
  4. Clear the
    Open only
     and
    Unassigned only
     checkboxes.
  5. Filter for the engagement.
  6. Right-click each schedule item and select
    Delete
    .
Delete filters
Review each type of filter and individual filter to find the ones you want to delete or change.
Custom filter types include:
  • Activity
  • Client
  • Engagement
  • Staff
  • Invoice
  • A/R Entry
  • Billing Decision Collection
  • Receipt Adjustment
  • Project
  • Project Template
  • Task
  • Interaction
  • Schedule Item
  • CPE Course
Select
File
, then
Print Reports
 to find filters you want to delete. To delete a filter:
  1. Right-click the filter field.
  2. Select
    Add [filter type] Filter
    .
  3. If there are filters listed, search through them for the data you want to delete in the filter settings.
  4. Highlight a filter and select
    Delete
     to remove it.

Delete the engagement

  1. Select
    Setup
    , then
    Clients
    .
  2. Find the client with an engagement you want to delete.
  3. Select
    Edit
    .
  4. Select the
    Engagement
     tab.
  5. Select the engagement you want to delete.
  6. Select
    Delete
     from the engagement list.

Delete the engagement template

  1. Select
    Setup
    ,
    Templates
    , and then
    Engagements
    .
  2. Select a template.
  3. Select
    Delete
    .

This article applies to:

  • Product: Practice CS