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What is Data Archiving? A Complete Guide

What is data archiving? Explore top data archiving solutions, learn how it impacts data retention, and see specific uses like email archiving.

  • Overview
  • What Is Data Archiving?
  • Types of Archived Data
  • Why Is Data Archiving Important?
  • Benefits of Data Archiving
  • Data Archiving Best Practices
  • Data Archiving Solutions
  • Choosing the Right Data Archival Tool
  • Conclusion
  • Data Archiving FAQs
  • Customers Using Snowflake
  • Snowflake Resources

Overview

Much like the contents of those dusty boxes cluttering your garage, digital data also loses its utility as it becomes out of date, its relevance forgotten. As every business operates and grows, it will invariably collect data that is no longer needed — either because it’s outdated, expired or simply irrelevant — yet it still consumes valuable storage and management resources. The question eventually becomes: What do you do with inactive data, especially if some of it can’t be deleted for compliance and auditing purposes? How do you know what data to keep and for how long?

This is where data archiving comes in. An effective data archiving strategy can not only ensure compliance, it can also reduce storage costs, improve system performance and simplify data management across the board.

In this guide, we’ll explore what data archiving is, why it’s a critical step within the data lifecycle management process and how it’s different from traditional data backup. We’ll also cover what types of data should be archived along with data archiving best practices.

 

What is data archiving?

Data archiving refers to the process of moving data that is no longer actively in use to a separate storage system for long-term data retention. It is sometimes referred to as Enterprise Information Archiving (EIA) because it involves a broader strategy for managing an organization’s data lifecycle. 

With a data archiving strategy in place, organizations get the best of both worlds: They can still keep and access inactive data when needed, while ensuring it does not take up active storage space or consume needed resources.

 

Data archiving vs. data backup

Both data backups and data archives are essential to an organization’s data management strategy, but it’s important to understand the difference between the two. In a nutshell, backups are used for the short-term storage of active data in the event that data recovery is needed. In a typical enterprise, all data is subject to backup. Conversely, data archives are used for long-term storage of inactive yet still important data that may be needed in the future. Data archiving may be reserved for more critical or sensitive data, such as expired contracts or transactional records, audit logs and historical marketing campaign results.

With a data backup process, copies of active data are saved elsewhere to ensure business continuity in the event of data loss, damage or inaccessibility. A data backup usually saves data exactly as it exists in the original file, database or server. To retrieve the data — which is rarely indexed — you need to know the specific version of the data you need and its location.

Data archives, on the other hand, store data that is critical but not actively needed in an indexed manner. This allows users to retrieve the data more intelligently by using search parameters such as keywords within the contents of a file, its author or its origin. 

Types of archived data

Strategic archiving begins with determining what data is no longer needed regularly but which may be needed in the future for legal, historical or other analytical purposes. Here are some categories of data that are prime candidates for archiving:

 

Financial and transactional records

Many jurisdictions require businesses to retain financial records for a certain period of time for regulatory compliance and tax purposes. Archived data can also be used for historical analysis to identify past anomalies, including fraud. 

 

Project data

Archiving past project data frees up storage space for current projects while preserving historical knowledge for future projects. Organizations can access the archive, for example, to analyze the success of past projects or review how corporate branding has evolved over time. 

 

Employee and HR data

Many federal and state laws require companies to keep payroll and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) records for a set period. These records can provide important evidence in the event of tax audits, lawsuits or investigations. Legal and compliance reasons aside, archived HR records can also be important for preserving an organization’s institutional knowledge, including historical data on training and policies.

 

Email and communications

Archiving emails not only frees up storage space and improves performance, it is also required under certain federal and state laws, including Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and HIPAA, for many regulated industries such as finance, healthcare and public companies.

 

Database records

Inactive databases should usually be archived to free up storage and optimize the performance of active databases.

Why is data archiving important?

With the exponential growth of data in today’s digital economy, data archiving is an essential component of data management for almost every organization. It is especially crucial for any industry that is subject to regulatory compliance. And even if your business does not have a legal obligation to maintain certain records, it’s always a smart idea to maintain financial records for potential audits and analysis. 

Another reason archiving is important is that it usually saves organizations money. By moving inactive data to more cost-effective storage, companies can cut down on primary storage costs and improve the performance of day-to-day IT systems.

Benefits of data archiving

There are many advantages to having a robust data archiving strategy. Here are some of the primary benefits organizations commonly cite:

 

Reduced storage costs

Archived data is typically moved to more cost-effective storage devices that require fewer resources to manage.

 

Improved production system performance

Storing and processing large data volumes slows down systems: Indexing a billion documents is far slower than indexing the hundred million that might reasonably be needed. Archiving inactive data reduces query loads, speeds up data retrieval and optimizes overall performance. It also speeds up data backups by avoiding having to constantly save unnecessary copies of inactive data.

 

Simplified data management

By separating inactive data from active data, there’s simply less data to deal with. This makes it easier to manage storage requirements, improves data security and improves the management of data governance policies.

 

Ensured compliance and legal protection

Some data can’t be deleted for legal and compliance purposes. Moving inactive data to an archive ensures that it is retained securely and remains available for legal and regulatory compliance needs, as well as for audits.

Data archiving best practices

When it comes to creating and maintaining an effective data archiving strategy, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

 

1. Develop a formal data retention policy

Your data retention policy should clearly define what data needs to be retained, archived or deleted based on legal or regulatory compliance guidelines and business requirements. Establish clear guidelines for when data should be archived, how long it should be archived and when to delete it from the archive.

 

2. Automate the archiving process

You can improve data management efficiency and generally make life easier by automating the archiving process where possible. Manual archiving is both time-consuming and error-prone, while automation can be configured to identify, move and track data for archiving by setting up predefined rules. This saves time and reduces mistakes in the archival process.

 

3. Ensure the archive is secure and indexed

Archived data must be protected the same way your current data is kept safe. To do this, make sure you choose a data archiving solution with strong security features and restrict access to archived data by defining user roles and permissions appropriately. Archived data must also be properly indexed to ensure easier searchability and retrieval.

 

4. Regularly test data retrieval

Ensure your archived data is accessible when you need it most. One way to do this is to conduct regular tests to ensure compliance readiness and to answer whether required data can be found quickly.

Data archiving solutions

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all data archiving solution. There are several different approaches to consider, each varying based on your business requirements and the type of data your company manages. 

Here are some of the more common types of data archiving options:

 

Application and database archiving solutions

These types of archiving solutions are best for retaining structured transactional or employee records from platforms like HR, CRM and ERP systems which are no longer routinely needed but which need to be kept.

 

File and email archiving solutions

These are best for archiving unstructured data, including email threads and attachments, documents and spreadsheets, in the event of audits or legal requests. Most offer built-in indexing and search capabilities for easy retrieval. 

 

Cloud vs. on-premises archiving options

Cloud-based archiving solutions are generally more cost-effective and scalable than on-prem options, and they allow for remote access while offering more automated management tools. While on-premises solutions typically require more hands-on maintenance, they may offer more control and greater security.

 

Hybrid data archiving solutions

By combining cloud and on-prem capabilities, hybrid archiving solutions offer the best of both worlds, striking an optimal balance among cost, control, security and performance. These flexible solutions are best for organizations that need to manage regulatory compliance across multiple regions and those that are transitioning from legacy systems.

Choosing the right data archival tool

With so many archiving tools available, how do you choose the right one for your organization’s needs? Here are some key factors to consider when evaluating data archiving tools and questions to ask each provider:

 

1. Automation and scheduling capabilities

Does it offer automated functionality and scheduling capabilities to eliminate the need for manual archiving?

 

2. Advanced indexing and search functionality

Does it have advanced indexing and search functionality to make data retrieval faster and more efficient?

 

3. Built-in data security and compliance features

Does it offer strong encryption capabilities, strict access controls and other security features to meet regulatory compliance requirements?

 

4. Integration with existing systems and workflows

Will it work with your existing systems and the type of data you need to archive?

Conclusion

As the data lifecycle becomes more complex for most organizations, data archiving is no longer merely another basic IT task, it is a strategic imperative that modernizes data management. While data archiving is especially crucial for industries subject to regulatory compliance rules, virtually every organization needs to retain certain inactive data — transactional records, employee files, emails or old project data — for historical, legal or auditing purposes. 

By moving inactive data to archives, organizations can free up storage space for current data while optimizing system performance, in turn speeding up backups and disaster recovery. When well-defined, an enterprise archiving strategy is a fundamental component of a mature and sustainable data ecosystem.

Data Archival FAQs

Some best practices for data storage and archiving include:

 

  • Develop a formal data retention policy that clearly defines what data needs to be retained, archived or deleted based on legal or regulatory compliance guidelines and business requirements. Establish clear guidelines for when data should be archived, how long it should be archived and when to delete it from the archive.

  • Automate the archiving process to improve data management efficiency. Automation can be set up to identify, move and track data for archiving by setting up predefined rules based on data type, age, owner and more.

  • Ensure archived data is protected by choosing an archiving solution with strong security features built in. Restrict access to archived data by defining appropriate user roles and permissions. 

  • Make sure your archived data is indexed for easier searchability and retrieval when you need it.

  • Conduct regular tests to ensure archived data is compliance-ready and can be located and retrieved quickly.

There are many archiving solutions appropriate for databases, specifically designed for archiving the structured transactional records stored in these types of platforms. These solutions enable secure archiving, optimized storage and complete control over historical records, while ensuring compliance, cost efficiency and long-term accessibility.

A data archiving strategy starts with clearly defined goals, determining policies for what data needs to be archived and for how long. When evaluating data archiving solutions, prioritize security and access controls, indexing capabilities for easier data retrieval and automation features to minimize the need for manual effort. A final critical component to any successful data archiving strategy is regular testing. This ensures that archived data can be accessed when needed for regulatory or auditing purposes.