Data retention
The policy governing how long data is stored before deletion. Automation enforces retention policies by automatically purging records after defined periods e.g., deleting GDPR-covered personal data after 3 years, or archiving financial records after 7 years.
Expert insight
A data retention policy that exists as a written document but isn't actually enforced by automation is effectively not a policy, if old records are supposed to be deleted after a defined period, that deletion needs to be automated and verified, not left as a manual task someone is supposed to remember to do periodically.
In a real workflow
Execution logs are deleted after 30 days, and lead data after two years without activity.
Common mistakes
- Keeping everything forever.
- Deleting data needed for legal obligations.
Complexity level
Requires some familiarity with automation concepts.
Related terms
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