Deleting zones, "are you sure you want to delete all associated records?"

[UKCCSam]

Hi,

I'm looking at deleting a shipping zone.

I've found the zones and classes under Business Settings > Shipping and Handling, on the Zone/Class Tables tab, and I've formed 2 new zones and classes to replace 2 pre-existing zones and classes, which have been used in the past. I've tested these new shipping zones underneath the 'New Order' tab and checked they all work properly.

Now I was going to delete the older zones to allow them to be removed as options from the website. But when I go to delete these by right click > 'Delete selected item', I get the following message in a prompt window:

"Are you sure you want to delete this zone and all its associated records?"

Could anybody clarify what this means? Does it mean that order records using these shipping methods previously will be deleted as well? And if not, what happens to records that have used these options in the past? I checked documentation but couldn't find anything about it. I'm hoping to remove these 2 options without deleting any order records. If records will be deleted, is there an alternative way to hide these delivery options for customers?

I've backed up and will try it out if there isn't any answers, and write up any findings here.

Thanks in advance for any replies/answers.
Sam

[UKCCSam]

Okay. I've gone through and tried it out.

*Solved*

Selecting yes and deleting the zone doesn't delete all previous orders using that shipping method. It just clears out the 'Shipping class' value for orders which have used that deleted shipping method.

For completed orders, you can still see the price paid by the customer and work out the shipping method from there (by documenting your deleted shipping methods upon deletion). Or you could create a copy of ActinicCatalogue.mdb prior to deleting, put this copy on the desktop and do a query in Access to filter by shipping method on the Order table, then export this for future reference. Keep an excel spreadsheet of orders using the deceased shipping method.

So far nothing nasty has happened. I just wanted to write it up in case anybody else needs to know.