Set a default Data Retention Policy for temporary Data Extensions

Available in DESelect Segment Enable, DESelect Segment Plus and DESelect Segment Advanced.

As an admin in DESelect Segment, you can set a default Data Retention Policy for temporary Data Extensions. This can be done in the Admin Panel. 

What are temporary Data Extensions?

Temporary DEs are intermediary DEs generated by DESelect when you run Preview,  or when Prio Deduplication is enabled, to provide a complete view of the records for further validation if necessary.

When a user runs Preview, we are running a Query and writing the data into a temporary Data Extension. This is generated and stored in SFMC > Email Studio > Subscribers >Data Extensions under the DESelect > Selections folder.  

By default, we don’t remove these temporary Data Extensions, which can lead to a growing number of Data Extensions in your environment.

The purpose of setting up a retention policy for temporary Data Extensions is for a continuous clean-up of the old/ unnecessary data. 

How can you do this - step by step:

1. Access the Admin Panel > Settings >Data Retention Settings
2. Click on the Show Policy button and the Data Retention Policy for Temporary Data Extensions pop-up will appear
3. Enable the Retention Setting
4. Chose the period you would like your temporary Data Extensions to be retained - choose from Days, Weeks, Months or Years
5. Click Save 

Important to know

• This setting will be applied to all existing temporary Data Extensions  generated when running Preview
• Currently, there is no telling if the Data Extension is being used in an automation, the temporary Data Extension will be deleted as per the set data retention policy. One way of solving this is to migrate the automation to DESelect Segment Scheduled Selections or Waterfall Selections so this issue will not pertain.

Related Article:

• Set a default data retention policy for new Target Data Extensions
• What's new in DESelect: August 2022