Data retention is the practice of keeping data for a defined period based on its business purpose, legal obligations, operational needs, or historical value. A retention policy specifies what information should be stored, how long it should remain available, and when it should be securely deleted or archived. Retention therefore covers the full period between data creation and its eventual disposal.
For example, a company may retain financial records for several years to satisfy regulatory requirements while deleting temporary application logs after a shorter period. Keeping data indefinitely can increase storage costs and exposure to unnecessary risk, while deleting it too early can remove information needed for audits or analysis. Related concepts include data archiving, data deletion, data governance, backup, and compliance.
