diff --git a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/AutoArchiverTask.java b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/AutoArchiverTask.java
index b6a1cb2881535cc25e3633248623f359bc4a0a9a..f26c6b5aa3e41ac3b5fa7e17733b66394bc7a232 100644
--- a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/AutoArchiverTask.java
+++ b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/AutoArchiverTask.java
@@ -58,18 +58,14 @@ public class AutoArchiverTask implements IMaintenanceTask
 
     private IEncapsulatedOpenBISService openBISService;
 
-    private IAutoArchiverPolicy policyOrNull;
+    private IAutoArchiverPolicy policy;
 
     private ArchiverDataSetCriteria criteria;
 
     public void execute()
     {
         operationLog.info("start");
-        List<ExternalData> dataSets = openBISService.listActiveDataSets(criteria);
-        if (policyOrNull != null)
-        {
-            policyOrNull.filter(dataSets);
-        }
+        List<ExternalData> dataSets = policy.filter(openBISService.listActiveDataSets(criteria));
         if (dataSets.isEmpty())
         {
             operationLog.info("nothing to archive");
@@ -89,7 +85,7 @@ public class AutoArchiverTask implements IMaintenanceTask
         SectionProperties policySectionProperties =
                 PropertyParametersUtil.extractSingleSectionProperties(properties,
                         POLICY_SECTION_NAME, false);
-        policyOrNull = tryCreatePolicyInstance(policySectionProperties);
+        policy = createPolicyInstance(policySectionProperties);
         operationLog.info("Plugin " + pluginName + " initialized");
     }
 
@@ -100,12 +96,12 @@ public class AutoArchiverTask implements IMaintenanceTask
         return new ArchiverDataSetCriteria(olderThan, dataSetTypeCodeOrNull);
     }
 
-    private IAutoArchiverPolicy tryCreatePolicyInstance(SectionProperties policySectionProperties)
+    private IAutoArchiverPolicy createPolicyInstance(SectionProperties policySectionProperties)
     {
         String className = policySectionProperties.getProperties().getProperty(CLASS_PROPERTY_NAME);
         if (className == null)
         {
-            return null;
+            return DummyAutoArchiverPolicy.INSTANCE;
         }
         try
         {
diff --git a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/DummyAutoArchiverPolicy.java b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/DummyAutoArchiverPolicy.java
index 764f785b5e5dac6b8690b23e4f02c13e2b2ef29a..18e55b76de3cdfa5f9796abdd85568740588de91 100644
--- a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/DummyAutoArchiverPolicy.java
+++ b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/etlserver/plugins/DummyAutoArchiverPolicy.java
@@ -27,13 +27,14 @@ import ch.systemsx.cisd.openbis.generic.shared.basic.dto.ExternalData;
  */
 public class DummyAutoArchiverPolicy implements IAutoArchiverPolicy
 {
+    public static final IAutoArchiverPolicy INSTANCE = new DummyAutoArchiverPolicy(null);
+    
     public DummyAutoArchiverPolicy(Properties properties)
     {
     }
 
     public List<ExternalData> filter(List<ExternalData> dataSets)
     {
-        System.out.println("DummyAutoArchiverPolicy - filtered nothing");
         return dataSets;
     }