Deleting an externally owned object in xMatters

Question

We've found that we're unable to delete a user or device because the records are marked as "externally owned". What does that mean, and can I get permission to override this behavior to delete those records?

Environment

All versions of xMatters

Answer

If a user sync is configured with xMatters and the management system pushes and owns the data, it's marked "externally owned". This means that within xMatters, that piece of information is read only and you won't be able to modify or delete the data.

Company Supervisors should have access to delete externally owned users. Certain other roles and permissions also have the ability to modify externally owned data. If you don't have the appropriate permissions to manage externally owned data, please contact Support.

If you encounter users that cannot be deleted, especially those marked as 'Externally Owned' without an External Key, contact xMatters support for assistance. These accounts may have been added through API or other synchronization processes that require special handling.

Important: When an external data sync is active, deleting users from the xMatters UI may result in those users being automatically re-added during the next synchronization. To permanently remove externally owned users, you should first remove them from the source system or coordinate with your data sync configuration.