Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about SAR Portal. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact support@sarportal.com.

Open SAR Portal →

Getting Started

How do I create my account?

1. Register at sarportal.com
2. Check your email for an invitation
3. Click the activation link
4. Verify your email with the one-time code
5. Log in at app.sarportal.com

Full Setup Guide →

My invitation link expired. What do I do?

Invitation links expire. On the expired-invitation page, click Verify Email & Request New Invitation, confirm your email with the one-time code, and a new invitation is sent. An admin in your organization can also send it again: Users → Resend Invite.

Can I change my email address?

Currently, email addresses cannot be changed as they’re linked to your identity verification. Contact support if you need to use a different email.

How do I reset my password?

Sign in with your organisation’s Microsoft 365 account, a Google account or a one-time code sent to your email. There is no separate SAR Portal password to reset. A Microsoft 365 password is managed by your organisation, and a Google account’s password and multi-factor settings are managed by Google. SAR Portal adds no multi-factor step of its own, and we recommend that you turn it on for these accounts; the email code is a single factor, so protect the mailbox it is sent to.

Cases & Requests

How do I create a new case?

Create New Case →

1. Click Cases in the sidebar
2. Click Create New Case
3. Select request type, enter subject details
4. Click Create Case

What’s the difference between manual cases and portal cases?

How do I handle a request for someone not in our systems?

1. Create a case for the request
2. Search your systems for the person’s data
3. Record each place you searched in the case’s Document Collation panel (Add Collation Source)
4. Close the case with the Closure Reason No Data Found, and say in the Closure Notes that you hold no data about them (the Closure Notes are emailed to the requester)

This documents your due diligence in case of audit.

What do the different case statuses mean?

Learn More About Statuses →

Can I reopen a closed case?

No, closed cases cannot be reopened. If you need to address a follow-up request from the same person, create a new case and reference the previous case in the new case’s Notes / Description.

Deadlines & Compliance

What is the GDPR deadline for responding?

GDPR requires you to respond within one month of receiving a request. For complex cases, you can extend this by two further months (three months in total), but you must inform the subject of the extension within the first month.

How do I extend a deadline?

View Your Cases →

1. Open the case
2. Click More Actions > Extend Deadline
3. Choose 1 Month or 2 Months
4. Enter the reason for the extension
5. Click Extend Deadline. The system records the extension and new deadline

What happens if I miss a deadline?

Missing GDPR deadlines can result in:

• Complaints to data protection authorities
• Regulatory investigations
• Potential fines

SAR Portal helps you stay on top of deadlines: each case shows its due date and the days left, and the dashboard lists cases that are due soon or overdue. SAR Portal does not email you about upcoming deadlines, so check the dashboard every day.

How do I prove we handled a request properly?

Key actions are recorded in an audit log. No user can edit or delete entries. The log includes:

• Timestamps for every change
• User activity records

View Compliance →

Documents & AI

What file types can I upload?

Maximum file size: 100 MB per file on paid plans (10 MB per file on the free trial, which also limits the number of files per case). Batch uploads: up to 250 MB in total on the trial and Basic, 500 MB on Starter, 1 GB on Pro and Enterprise. Legacy .doc and .xls are not supported: convert them to .docx/.xlsx first.

How does AI PII detection work?

SAR Portal uses a two-layer AI system:

1. Pattern Analysis - Detects 50+ entity types using pattern recognition
2. Contextual AI Analysis - Provides contextual understanding for complex cases

The AI identifies personal data like names, emails, addresses, government IDs, financial info, and more.

Learn About AI Redaction →

Is AI redaction accurate?

AI suggests redactions. It can miss personal data or redact too much, so always review every page before you send it.

• Always review AI detections before applying redactions
• Detected items start selected, including the requester’s own details: use Deselect Subject Data to keep the requester’s own information in their copy
• Some context-specific data may be missed
• Unusual formats might need manual detection
• The AI provides suggestions - you make final decisions

Can I undo a redaction?

No. When a file is redacted, SAR Portal attaches the redacted copy to the case in place of the file, and records the original’s hash for integrity. The unredacted original is not stored on the case. Keep your own copy of the source file in case you need to redact it again. Files with nothing to redact are attached as they are.

Why isn’t the AI detecting anything?

Common reasons:

• The scan is low quality or handwritten, so the text cannot be read
• The file is corrupted or password-protected
• The file is a WebP image (accepted, but not redacted automatically)
• Your page allowance is used up, so files upload without automatic redaction
• The data type is switched off in Settings → Advanced (AI Redaction Settings)
• The document genuinely contains no personal data

Try:

1. For scans, use a clearer, higher quality image
2. Check the document opens correctly and is not password-protected
3. Check your AI Redaction Settings

Is the AI metered — can I run out?

Yes. Document processing (text extraction, personal data detection and redaction) is included on every plan, within a page allowance for each billing period:

On a yearly plan you get 12 months’ pages pooled for the year (for example 60,000 pages on yearly Pro). The allowance is one pool: scanned pages (each PDF page or image) plus text pages, where 2,500 characters of text (emails, Office and data files) count as one page. Case AI features such as risk scoring, the text assistant and the completeness review do not use pages.

Billing shows the pages processed out of your allowance, the pages left, the reset date, and the split between scanned pages and text pages.

We email you at 80% and at 100% of your pages. When the allowance is used up, document processing pauses until it resets or you upgrade:

• Files still upload, but are not redacted automatically. Files that could not be checked are held back under Held back — not included until you choose Include anyway
• Batch redaction and bulk jobs will not start if their pages do not fit in what is left

You can review and redact manually, or upgrade for a larger allowance. See Usage & Limits.

Public Portal

How do I get my portal URL?

Open Settings →

Your portal URLs are displayed in the Public Portal Access section of the Integrations page. You can also create additional time-bound URLs for specific campaigns.

Can I customize my portal’s appearance?

Every plan shows your company name on the portal. You can also customize:

• Company logo - Upload your logo (Pro and Enterprise)
• Brand color - Set your primary color (Pro and Enterprise)
• Request types - Enable/disable specific types

How do I add the portal to my website?

Add a link in your privacy policy:

<a href="https://app.sarportal.com/subjectaccess?token=YOUR-PORTAL-TOKEN">
  Submit a Data Request
</a>

Or embed instructions for staff to direct inquiries to your portal.

Can I disable the public portal?

Yes. In Settings → Integrations, under Public Portal Access, you can Decommission a portal URL. This is permanent: a decommissioned URL cannot be switched back on, but you can generate a new one afterwards. Anyone who opens a decommissioned link sees “Invalid, expired, or decommissioned token. Please request a new link from the organization.” You can still create cases manually. You can also delete a token’s record from the history.

Integrations Settings →

Users & Permissions

How do I invite team members?

Manage Users →

1. Go to Users in the sidebar
2. Click Invite User
3. Enter their email address
4. Select their role
5. Click Send Invitation

What are the different user roles?

Full Role Details →

Can I remove a user?

Yes. Admins can delete a user: Users → Delete on the user’s row. You cannot delete yourself.

A deleted user’s session ends on their next request, and within about 5 minutes in an open tab. They cannot give themselves access again: they need a new invitation from an admin.

Can someone belong to two organizations?

One email address has one sign-in. If two organizations invite the same person, they sign in to the organization that invited them last, and their role is the one that invitation gave them. Any session they had open in the other organization ends.

A user’s invitation expired. How do I resend?

1. Go to Users
2. Find the user with the status Invite Sent
3. Click Resend Invite

The invitee can also request a new invitation themselves from the expired-invitation page, as long as the invitation is still waiting to be accepted.

Billing & Plans

What plans are available?

View Your Plan →

Is there a free trial?

Yes. The 14-day trial runs on the plan you chose, with that plan’s features. No credit card required. Trials are limited to 10 cases, 10 MB per file, 10 files per case, 1 GB storage, 250 MB per batch upload and 500 pages of document processing. Enterprise has no self-serve trial: contact us.

What happens when my 14-day trial ends?

Because no card is required to start, your trial never auto-charges. When the 14 days end without you choosing a plan:

• Your account is restricted until you choose a plan
• Creating new cases, uploading files, and AI features are paused
• Your data is kept for a limited time so you can choose a plan. If no one ever signed in, the account is deleted 2 days after the trial ends (see Terms 5.4)
• Choose a plan and add a payment method to restore full access

How do I add a payment method, and what happens if payment fails?

Add or update your card under Billing. If a renewal payment fails, your subscription becomes past due and access is restricted in stages until payment succeeds:

Exporting your data is always allowed (GDPR Article 20). To recover full access at any stage, update your payment method under Billing.

How do I upgrade my plan?

Manage Billing →

1. Go to Billing in the sidebar
2. Click View Plans
3. On the plan you want, click Upgrade to plan
4. Confirm the change in the Stripe billing portal that opens
5. New limits apply immediately

How do I cancel my subscription?

1. Go to Billing
2. Click Cancel Subscription
3. Access continues until your current period ends
4. Your data stays read-only, with export available, for 90 days, then it is permanently deleted. We email you 10 days before.

What happens when I hit my case limit?

• New requests through your public portal are refused with “Unable to submit request at this time. Please contact the organization directly for assistance.”
• Admin buffer allows a few extra manual cases
• Existing cases continue normally
• The case count starts again at the beginning of each calendar month (UTC)

Security & Privacy

Where is my data stored?

Case data and documents are stored in Microsoft Azure West Europe (Netherlands), with a second copy of documents in North Europe (Ireland). AI processing runs in Azure Sweden Central. Case content stays in the EEA. A few supporting services may process limited account, billing or technical data outside the EEA under Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework: Microsoft Graph (your users’ names and emails, for invitations), Google reCAPTCHA (browser signals from people using our website forms and application pages, including your request forms) and Stripe (billing). None of them receive case content or documents. Microsoft Entra External ID keeps directory data in the EU, and Twilio SendGrid email is sent from its EU regional account; their terms allow limited transfers outside the EEA, for example security and fraud signals or vendor support in exceptional cases, under SCCs.

Is my data encrypted?

Yes:

• At rest: AES-256 encryption
• In transit: TLS 1.2 or higher
• Keys: Microsoft-managed encryption keys

Who can access my organization’s data?

Only users you invite to your organization. Each organization’s case data and documents are kept separate through tenant separation, enforced in our application.

Can SAR Portal staff see my data?

Only when needed. Our directors have administrative access to the production systems, protected by multi-factor authentication, and use it only to run the service, fix a problem you report, or when the law requires it.

How do I delete my account?

Account Settings →

See Account Deletion for full details on:

• Deleting your user account
• Deleting your entire organization
• What happens to your data

Troubleshooting

I can’t log in

1. Check your email - Look for the one-time code
2. Check spam/junk - Codes sometimes land there
3. Wait and retry - Request a new code if yours has expired
4. Clear browser cache - Try incognito/private mode
5. Contact support - support@sarportal.com

The portal isn’t loading

1. Check your internet connection
2. Try a different browser
3. Clear browser cache and cookies
4. Disable browser extensions
5. Email support@sarportal.com and we will tell you if there is a known outage

Documents won’t upload

Common issues:

• File exceeds the size limit (100 MB on paid plans, 10 MB on the free trial)
• Unsupported file type
• File is corrupted
• Browser blocking upload

Try:

1. Check file size and type
2. Try a different browser
3. Ensure stable internet connection
4. Try uploading a different file to isolate the issue

I’m not receiving email notifications

1. Check spam/junk folders
2. Check your email address: ask an admin to confirm on the Users page that you were invited with the right address
3. Add mail-noreply@sarportal.com (sender name “SAR Portal”) to your safe senders

Check Notification Settings →

Still Have Questions?