European Finance Observatory

Concept · Brief definitionRelevant to you

Data retention

Data retention covers how long records and data are kept and when they are deleted or archived. Periods come from law and policy, such as record-keeping rules in financial regulation, while the GDPR storage limitation principle forbids keeping personal data longer than needed.

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Roles that need it

This is a brief definition. A full explanation with a worked example is being written.

Skills it belongs to

Sources

Updated 31 Oct 2026.