Data retention settings
EmailConnect provides flexible data retention controls to help you balance data availability with privacy requirements and storage costs. Configure these settings in retention settings.
Understanding data retention
Data retention determines how long EmailConnect stores:
- Processed email metadata
- Webhook delivery logs
- Failed webhook attempts
- Email processing history
Why data retention matters
Privacy compliance
- Meet GDPR requirements for data minimization
- Automatically delete old customer data
- Reduce liability from storing unnecessary information
Storage optimization
- Lower storage costs by removing old data
- Improve query performance on active data
- Keep your account lean and efficient
Business requirements
- Maintain audit trails for the required period
- Balance debugging needs with privacy
- Comply with industry-specific regulations
Configuring retention settings
Access retention settings
- Navigate to Settings (
/settings) - Click on the "Retention" tab
- Choose your retention period
- Save changes
Available retention periods
Free and Maker plans:
- 1 hour default
Business plan:
- 24 hours default
- Configurable up to 30 days
Platform plan:
- 24 hours default
- Configurable up to 365 days
- Automated export options before deletion
What gets retained
Email metadata
- Subject, sender, recipient
- Processing timestamp
- Size and attachment count
- Delivery status
Webhook logs
- Delivery attempts and timestamps
- HTTP response codes
- Response times
- Retry attempts
What doesn't get stored
- Email body content
- Attachment contents (only metadata)
- Raw email data
- Personal identifying information beyond email addresses
Retention lifecycle
Day 0: Email received
- Email processed and webhook triggered
- Metadata stored in database
- Delivery logged
During retention period
- Full access to logs and history
- Debugging information available
- Retry options for failed webhooks
After retention period
- Data automatically deleted
- No manual intervention needed
- Deletion is permanent and irreversible
Changing retention settings
Immediate effect
- New emails follow new retention period
- Existing data maintains original retention
Retroactive changes
- Shortening retention doesn't delete existing data immediately
- Data expires based on original retention setting
- Extending retention only affects new data
Compliance considerations
GDPR compliance
- Set shortest practical retention period
- Document your retention policy
- Ensure automatic deletion works
Industry regulations
- Financial services: May require longer retention
- Healthcare: Check HIPAA requirements
- E-commerce: Consider payment dispute periods
Data subject requests
- Retention settings don't override deletion requests
- Manual deletion available via API
- Contact support for bulk deletions
Monitoring data usage
Retention dashboard
View in your settings:
- Current retention setting
- Data volume by age
- Upcoming deletions
- Storage trends
Alerts and notifications
- Warning before high-volume deletions
- Monthly retention reports
- Storage quota notifications
Programmatic deletion
Business+ plans can programmatically delete emails via the API once they've been processed. This further reduces your data exposure window — process the email, extract what you need, then immediately delete the stored copy.
See API keys & integrations for API authentication details.
Faq
Can I recover deleted data?
No, deletion is permanent. Plan retention accordingly.
Does retention affect webhook delivery?
No, webhooks are delivered immediately. Retention only affects historical logs.
Can I export data before deletion?
Yes, use the API to export data. Platform plans have automated export options.
How precise is deletion timing?
Data is deleted within 1 hour of retention expiry. The scheduled deletion job runs every 30 minutes.
Configure your retention settings thoughtfully to balance business needs, compliance requirements, and cost optimization.