Create & manage matters

To hold, search, and export your organization's Google Workspace data in Vault, you create a workspace called a matter. A matter provides a container for the holds, searches, and exports related to a specific eDiscovery project, such as a litigation case or investigation.

About matters

A matter includes the following items:

• A list of saved search queries
• A list of holds
• A list of the accounts that the matter is shared with
• A list of exports
• An audit log of Vault user activity in the matter

A matter is owned by the user who creates it. It can be shared with other Vault users so everyone involved in an eDiscovery project can use the same workspace. If you delete the matter owner's account, the matter remains in Vault. Any Vault user with the Manage Matters privilege can open and share the matter with other Vault users. When a matter is no longer needed, you can delete any remaining holds, then close and delete the matter.

A matter can reside in a geographic region. You select the region when you set up the matter.

Manage matters

Create a matter

Before you begin: Review your organization's naming guidelines for matters. If you don't have guidelines, develop them to ensure that matter names clearly identify the matter's purpose and are unique.

1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
2. Click MattersCreate.

   If you don't have the Create option, ask your Google Workspace administrator to give you the necessary privileges.

3. Enter a descriptive name for the matter according to your organization's naming guidelines. 
4. (Optional) Enter a description of the matter. The description is shown when you open the matter.
5. (Optional) If your organization has a data region policy, select a data region for your matter.

   For more information, go to Choose a location for your Vault export data.

6. Click Create.

View matters

1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
2. Click Matters.

   The Matters page opens and lists all active matters your account can access (matters you created and matters that are shared with you).

3. To open a list of Closed or Deleted matters, click Status and select the matter status you want to open.
4. To filter the list by owner, click Owner and choose Owned by anyone, Owned by me, or Shared with me.
5. To sort the list of matters by matter name or owner, click the corresponding column header.
6. To open a matter, click the row.

Edit a matter

1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
2. Click Mattersclick the matter you want to edit.
3. Click Edit.
4. Update the matter name, description, or data region and click Save.

Change the status of a matter

You can change the status of a matter. If you change its status, the status of the data associated with the matter can also change:

• Closed—Vault keeps saved search queries and all audit data associated with the matter. Export files are immediately deleted. You can reopen closed matters or delete them. You can't close a matter until all holds are deleted.

  You can reopen a closed matter. The matter is moved back to the active matters list. It retains audit data and saved search queries, but you must recreate any holds and exports.

• Deleted—The matter is moved to the deleted matters list. Approximately 30 days after you delete a matter, Vault permanently deletes the matter. Until the Vault deletes the matter, you can restore a deleted matter with all data intact.

  You can restore a deleted matter. The matter is moved back to the active matters list. It retains audit data and saved search queries, but you must recreate any holds and exports.

Close a matter

1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
2. Click Mattersclick the matter you want to close.
3. Click Holds. For each hold:
   1. Review the hold and confirm that it's OK to delete it.
   2. In the list of holds, point to the hold and click Delete.
4. Click Matters to return to the list of matters.
5. Point to the matter and click Close.

Reopen or delete a matter

1. At the top of the matters list, in the Status menu, select Closed.
2. Point to the matter and choose an option:
   • To reopen the matter, click Reopen.
   • To delete the matter, click DeleteDelete matter.

Restore a deleted matter

1. At the top of the matters list, in the Status menu, select Deleted. 

   The list includes matters deleted within approximately the last 30 days. Matters deleted earlier than that are permanently deleted by Vault.

2. Point to the matter you want to restore and click Restore.

Related topic

Share matters with other Vault users