Understanding retention periods

When configuring a backup scheduler, you must specify the maximum time for which a backup can be held in your repository. For example, if you set a retention period of three months, it ensures that the backup held in your repository only holds information of all changes made in the preceding three months.

The retention period is calculated based on the date and time the item was last modified.

When you configure a new backup scheduler and you set a backup retention of a certain number of months, the process goes as follows:

1. When the backup job begins, ADManager Plus will analyze the metadata of all your data.
2. The retention period's starting point is set to the current date and time.
3. The last modification date of each item is identified.
4. The age of the item is calculated by comparing the last modified date and time to the current date and time.
5. The age is then compared with the value that you’ve set as the maximum retention period.
6. If the age of an item exceeds the specified interval, the item will not be backed up into the repository.
7. If the age is less than the specified retention period, the item will be backed up.
8. For example, assume a backup scheduler is created on July 5, 2022 to perform a backup every Sunday at 12am. The retention period is set to one year. The first time that the scheduler will run is on Sunday, July 10, 2022 at 12am. July 10, 2022 will be set as the starting point of the retention period. All items that have their last modified entry dated between July 10, 2021 and July 10, 2022 will be backed up, as the age of the modified item will be less than the maximum retention period. Any item that was modified earlier than July 10, 2021 will not be backed up.
9. This retention policy is then applied to the backed-up data on the repository.
10. After all items that satisfy the age criteria are backed up, ADManager Plus checks for items that have exceeded the retention period.
11. Items whose age exceeds the retention period will be removed from the backup repository.

Considering the same example from the scenario above, the next backup will occur on July 17, 2022 at 12am. With July 17, 2022 set as the starting point of the retention period, ADManager Plus will scan the backed up data to find all the items whose last modified times are earlier than July 17, 2021 and then remove them from the repository.