Extended Backup Retention

Why Extend Your Backup Retention?

Galaxy includes automatic daily backups with 4-day retention by default. For most applications, that's plenty of time to catch and fix accidental data loss. But sometimes you need backups sticking around longer.

You might need extended retention if:

• Compliance requirements mandate a specific data retention period
• You're dealing with sensitive data that needs long-term protection
• Your business needs recovery options stretching beyond a few days
• You want extra peace of mind for mission-critical data
• You're required to maintain audit trails for regulatory reasons

If any of these apply, extended retention gives you the backup window you actually need.

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How Extended Retention Works

Here's the simple version: Galaxy takes daily backups automatically, stores them for 4 days at no cost, then deletes them. With extended retention, you tell us how long to keep them, and we store them as long as you need.

Standard retention (included):

• 4 days of backups, automatic, zero extra cost
• Ideal for most applications
• Covers accidental deletions that get discovered quickly

Extended retention (optional):

• 15, 30, or custom retention period
• Small additional cost per GB per day
• Peace of mind for mission-critical data
• Full compliance with your requirements

That's it. Same daily backups, just kept longer.

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Requesting Extended Retention

Ready to extend how long your backups stick around? It's straightforward.

To request extended retention:

1. Note your database name and current size
2. Decide how long you want to keep backups (15 days, 30 days, or a custom period)
3. Contact Galaxy Support via live chat or email
4. Mention your specific retention requirements

Galaxy support calculates the exact cost for your database size and retention period. Once you confirm, they enable extended retention immediately on your database.

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Understanding Extended Retention Costs

Extended retention costs money, but not a lot if you're planning carefully. Here's how to calculate what you'll actually pay.

The Cost Formula

Cost for extended retention is calculated simply:

Cost = Daily Rate × Database Size × Additional Days

The daily rate is US$ 0.06 per GB per day for storage beyond the standard 4-day window.

Real Example

Let's say you have a 10 GB database and want to keep backups for 14 days total (10 additional days beyond the standard 4).

Calculation:

• Daily rate: US$ 0.06 per GB per day
• Database size: 10 GB
• Additional days: 10 (14 total minus 4 included)
• Monthly cost: 0.06 × 10 × 10 = US$ 6.00

That's roughly six dollars a month for peace of mind. Small investment for most businesses.

Important Cost Details

The cost is based on your full database size allocation, not the data currently stored inside. If you allocated 50 GB but only use 20 GB, extended retention charges you for the full 50 GB.

Here's why: you can grow into that allocated space anytime, and Galaxy needs to reserve backup storage at full capacity. It's simpler this way than constantly recalculating as your data grows.

Quick Cost Estimation

Want a ballpark number before contacting support?

1. Identify your database size in GB (allocated size, not current usage)
2. Decide additional days beyond 4 (so 14 days total = 10 additional)
3. Multiply: size × additional days × 0.06

For a 5 GB database wanting 30-day retention (26 additional days): 5 × 26 × 0.06 = US$ 7.80 per month

Run the math yourself before contacting support. You'll know what to budget.

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How Retention Period Counting Works

Your retention period starts counting from the day each backup is created. So if you request 14-day retention, we keep backups for 14 days from their creation date.

Example timeline with 14-day retention:

• Day 1: Backup created (retained until day 14)
• Day 2: New backup created (retained until day 15)
• Day 3: New backup created (retained until day 16)
• ... and so on

Each backup gets its own 14-day window. No overlap, no confusion.

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Restoring From Extended Backups

So you need to recover data from a backup that's beyond the standard 4-day window. Here's the process.

To restore from an extended backup:

1. Note the date of the backup you need
2. Contact Galaxy Support with the specific backup date
3. Support generates a secure database dump file
4. You receive the file and restore it to your database using your database tool's import features

This differs from the standard restoration process (which might be different). Support handles the technical work of extracting the backup safely and securely.

What to Provide When Requesting a Restore

Make the support team's job easy by including:

• Your database name
• The specific backup date you want to restore from
• What region your database is in
• Briefly, why you're recovering from that point
• Which environment you're restoring to (production, staging, etc.)

The more context you provide, the faster support can help you recover.

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Best Practices for Extended Retention

Not every database needs extended retention. Use it strategically to balance costs with protection.

Keep retention realistic. Longer isn't always better. 4 days covers 99% of accidental deletion scenarios. Only extend if you have a specific reason (compliance, regulatory requirement, business need).

Monitor growing costs. As your database grows, extended retention costs increase proportionally. Regular review of your retention needs helps prevent surprise bills.

Document your retention policy. Especially if you're managing multiple databases, document why each one has its retention period. This helps your team understand costs and justifies the expense.

Test restores occasionally. Make sure your restoration process actually works before you desperately need it. Know exactly how to recover and restore from backups.

Combine with regular exports. For truly critical data, download and store backups offline in addition to keeping extended retention active on Galaxy. Multiple layers of protection are better than one.

Review retention during cost optimization. When trimming your Galaxy bill, extended backup retention is a good place to look. Can you reduce the retention window or switch specific databases to standard 4-day retention?

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Common Extended Retention Questions

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Getting Started With Extended Retention

Ready to extend how long your backups stick around?

Next steps:

1. Evaluate which of your databases actually need extended retention (hint: probably not all of them)
2. Calculate the rough monthly cost for each database
3. Contact Galaxy Support with your requirements
4. Enable extended retention on the databases that matter most
5. Update your team's disaster recovery plan to include your new retention period

That's it. Support handles the rest.

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Learn More

Want deeper information about how backups work in general? Check out the Database Backups guide for complete backup documentation including standard retention, backup timing, and restoration.

Need help with your specific situation? Reach out to Galaxy Support. Our team can help you figure out the right retention period and estimate exact costs for your databases.