## TL;DR
Fix this in the questionnaire answer set by acting on the exact message first: compare the retention answer with the current DPA schedule line by line, correct the answer to the schedule periods for retention and deletion, and record the DPA version the answer now matches. Do not rerun the whole job unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one item, then rerun the full scope and reconcile the counts.

```text
questionnaire error data retention answer conflicts with DPA schedule
```

## Use this when
- The operation in the questionnaire answer set fails with this exact message: questionnaire error data retention answer conflicts with DPA schedule.
- The same failure repeats on retry with unchanged inputs.
- A review, export or check is blocked until this item completes.

## Not for this skill when
- The message is a permission or outage notice from the platform. Resolve that first, then return here if this error remains.
- The operation completes and you only disagree with its output. That is a quality review, not this failure.

## Steps
1. Reproduce the failure with the smallest scope that still shows it in the questionnaire answer set, and copy the full message plus the questionnaire, answer or evidence item involved into the run notes. Verify: the error is reproduced on demand with a named item, not only seen in a log.
2. Apply the specific fix for this error: compare the retention answer with the current DPA schedule line by line, correct the answer to the schedule periods for retention and deletion, and record the DPA version the answer now matches. Verify: the submitted retention answer matches the DPA schedule periods exactly.
3. Check the neighbouring items that share the same config, template, feed or credential, because this class of failure rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Compare the result counts, decisions or alerts against the source in the questionnaire answer set so a silent partial success is caught before sign off. Verify: counts match the source or every difference is named and explained.
5. Rerun the original operation in the questionnaire answer set on the previously failing scope, watching for the same message rather than assuming success from a quiet log. Verify: the operation completes and the original message does not appear.
6. Record the fix, the triggering input and the verification result on the item so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the error, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

## Why it happens
the answer was written from an older DPA schedule and never rechecked when the schedule changed, so the two documents now disagree.

## Variant phrasings

### questionnaire error data retention answer conflicts with DPA schedule
The verbatim form searchers paste from the terminal or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single item proof, then the full rerun.

### How to fix: how to fix questionnaire error data retention answer conflicts with DPA schedule fails
The how-to phrasing for the same failure in the questionnaire answer set. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the rerun.

### the questionnaire answer set troubleshooting for this failure
The symptom-first phrasing used when the console hides the full message. Surface the full message first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Compatibility: the questionnaire answer set at current versions, plus the platform API or console the query names; no extra tooling beyond a text editor and the source system access needed to verify counts.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_VVimtlQWfp4zuJOtI9-GJA