Data retention¶
Data retention controls how long BimBeau Privacy Analytics keeps analytics data in your WordPress database.
Use these settings to balance historical reporting needs, database size, and your privacy requirements.
Good to know
This page explains data retention from a user perspective. It does not replace your privacy policy, legal review, or internal data governance process.
Why data retention matters¶
Analytics data becomes less useful over time for many websites. Keeping only the data you need can help you:
- reduce long-term database growth;
- keep reports focused on useful periods;
- align analytics storage with your privacy policy;
- simplify maintenance and cleanup;
- reduce unnecessary historical data.
Open retention settings¶
In your WordPress admin area, go to BimBeau Privacy Analytics → Settings.
Retention-related settings are usually found in the tracking, privacy, or maintenance areas, depending on your plugin version and admin layout. See Tracking and privacy and Maintenance for the settings-screen controls.
Types of data retention¶
BimBeau Privacy Analytics may store different types of analytics data with different retention behavior.
Aggregate data powers long-term reports such as page views, visits, Pages, Referring sites, Devices, Geolocation aggregates, Internal searches, Pages not found, and other historical analytics summaries.
Raw or detailed data, when enabled and available, is more granular and is usually kept for a much shorter period.
Aggregate data retention¶
Aggregate data retention controls how long BimBeau Privacy Analytics keeps historical analytics summaries.
A longer retention period gives you more historical comparison and trend analysis. A shorter retention period keeps less historical data in the database.
Common choices:
| Retention choice | Best for |
|---|---|
| Short retention | Small sites, privacy-first setups, limited reporting needs |
| Medium retention | Most websites that need recent trends and basic year-over-year context |
| Long retention | Sites that need deeper historical comparison or recurring reporting |
Good to know
The default aggregate retention period may be suitable for many websites, but you should adjust it according to your reporting and privacy needs.
Raw or detailed data retention¶
Raw or detailed data can be more sensitive than aggregate data and is usually kept for a shorter time.
If your setup stores detailed records, use the shortest retention period that still supports your operational needs.
Examples of when short detailed retention may be useful:
- troubleshooting tracking behavior;
- reviewing very recent activity;
- diagnosing reporting issues;
- validating event or advanced tracking setup.
Important
Detailed analytics data may require stronger handling rules than aggregate data. Review your privacy policy and internal data handling process before extending retention.
Cleanup frequency¶
BimBeau Privacy Analytics can run cleanup routines to remove analytics data older than the configured retention period.
Cleanup frequency controls how often BimBeau Privacy Analytics checks for data that should be removed.
A more frequent cleanup keeps the database closer to your retention target. A less frequent cleanup may reduce maintenance activity but can leave expired data in place until the next cleanup run.
Choosing a retention period¶
Use this workflow to choose a retention policy.
- Decide what reports you actually use
If you mostly review recent performance, you may not need long historical retention.
- Check your privacy requirements
Make sure retention matches your privacy policy, consent wording, and internal data handling rules.
- Balance history and database size
Longer retention improves historical analysis but stores more data in your WordPress database.
- Start with a conservative setting
If you are unsure, start with a reasonable retention period and extend it later only if you need more historical reporting.
- Review periodically
Revisit retention settings after your site has collected enough traffic to understand storage and reporting needs.
Suggested retention approaches¶
Keep aggregate data for the shortest period that still gives you useful reporting. Keep detailed data, if enabled, for a very short period.
Keep aggregate data long enough to compare recent months and seasonal patterns. Keep detailed data short and use it mainly for troubleshooting or recent analysis.
Keep aggregate data longer if you need quarterly, annual, or historical reports. Review whether detailed data is truly necessary for the same duration.
Uninstall cleanup¶
BimBeau Privacy Analytics may include an uninstall cleanup option that controls what happens when the plugin is removed.
If enabled, uninstall cleanup can delete BimBeau Privacy Analytics plugin tables and analytics data from your WordPress database when the plugin is uninstalled.
Be careful
Deleting plugin tables on uninstall can permanently remove BimBeau Privacy Analytics analytics history. Only enable this option if you are sure you want the data removed when uninstalling the plugin.
Before changing retention settings¶
Before reducing retention or enabling cleanup options, consider whether you need to:
- export reports first;
- keep a backup for compliance or internal reporting;
- inform stakeholders who rely on historical analytics;
- update your privacy policy or internal documentation;
- test the setting on a staging website.
Exports and retained data¶
Exports are a Pro feature.
If export actions are available, you may want to export important reports before reducing retention or uninstalling the plugin.
Important
Exported files are separate from BimBeau Privacy Analytics retention settings. If you export analytics data, you are responsible for storing, sharing, and deleting those files according to your own data handling rules.
Empty historical reports after cleanup¶
If older reports become empty after changing retention settings, this may be expected.
When data is deleted by retention cleanup, BimBeau Privacy Analytics cannot display that historical data unless it exists elsewhere, such as in a backup or exported file.
Troubleshooting retention issues¶
- Check the selected date range
If a report is empty, make sure the selected date range is within your retained data period.
- Review retention settings
Confirm how long aggregate and detailed data are configured to be kept.
- Check whether cleanup has run
If old data still appears, cleanup may not have run yet or may be scheduled for a later time.
- Check backups before destructive changes
Before uninstalling or permanently deleting analytics data, confirm whether you need a backup or export.
Next step¶
Continue with Pro features overview to learn what BimBeau Privacy Analytics Pro adds to the core analytics workflow.