A method and system is provided for configurable articulation of criteria for period archival, deletion, or movement of data from one data storage system to another. A consistent method for executing programs which manage specific data uses criteria articulated to identify sets of data and the rules associated with the data entities being process by the programs. Data entities may have different controlling rules and policies such as required by different countries, companies, or contractual arrangements. Data entities are associated with rules and policies that define durations for storage, frequency of archival, retention periods, or the like. As a result a consistent process may be achieved that captures an organization's retention policy and that be administered over a variety of application systems.