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Channel Family Overview

A Channel Family manages data retention policies across your data source. This feature enables the automated enforcement of retention rules, helping organizations optimize storage costs and maintain compliance requirements.

Key Features​

  • Configurable retention policies based on version count and/or time periods.
  • Automated policy enforcement through Google's garbage collection process.
  • A standardized way to organize related channels and their associated metadata.
  • Enables efficient data storage and retrieval through structured attribute definitions.

Retention Policy Details​

  • Retention is triggered when either the version limit or the age limit is reached.
  • The garbage collection process can take up to 5 days.
  • Computed flags will not evaluate if the referenced data is deleted with no newer versions available.
  • Channel Family assignments are permanent due to the storage architecture.

Configuration Options​

  • Maximum Versions: Limit the number of versions stored.
  • Maximum Age: Set time-based limits in months.

Either limit can be marked as "not applicable."

How to create a Channel Family​

To create a new Channel Family take the following steps:

  1. Go to [Smart Integration -> Channel Classifiers -> Manage Channel Families -> Add Channel Family]
  2. Fill in the technical and display name of the Channel Family (description is optional)
  3. Fill in the Data Retention Policy. For both age in months and the maximum amount of versions “not applicable” is a valid option and will automatically ignore the combination rule.
  4. If a rule already exists creation will be cancelled and the name of the existing Channel Family will be provided for selection.

To assign a Channel Family to a new Channel Classifier take the following steps:

  1. Go to [Smart Integration -> Channel Classifiers -> Add Channel Classifier]
  2. In the Channel Classifier creation process select one of the existing Channel families

Note on Logical Operators​

  • When using the OR operator, deletion occurs when the version limit OR the age limit is reached. For instance, with settings of "5 versions OR 3 months," data exceeding either limit will be marked for deletion.
  • When using the AND operator, deletion occurs when both the version limit AND the age limit are reached. For instance, with settings of "5 versions AND 3 months," data exceeding both limits will be marked for deletion.

Important Note​

It is not possible to change the channel family of a channel classifier once it has been assigned. If this is necessary, please contact the Service Desk.