Transaction Lifecycle: TTL and Data Retention

Article Overview

This article defines how Time-to-Live (TTL) and Data Retention work within a digital process transaction lifecycle. It also clarifies configuration rules, system limits, and the hierarchy that determines which values are applied.

What is TTL?

(See Figure 1 and Figure 2)

TTL refers to the duration a transaction link remains active before it expires. 

• Maximum allowed - 90 days
• Configurable per process (not per step)
• Can be set at:
  • Process level (Process Settings)
  • Customer level (Customer Settings)

Figure 1: Process Settings - TTL

Figure 2: Customer Settings - TTL

What is Data Retention?

(See Figure 3)

The duration for which processed data is stored in our systems, for example:

• Tracking (Journey Tracker)
• Analytics (dashboards)
• Transaction Logs
• Reports

Key rules

• Maximum allowed - 90 days
• Must always be greater than or equal to TTL
• Can be set at - Customer Settings

Figure 3: Customer Settings - Data Retention

Configuration Hierarchy

When TTL or data retention values are not explicitly defined, the system applies the following hierarchy:

• Process Settings (highest priority)
• Customer Settings
• Environment Variables (fallback)

This means that:

• A value set at the process level overrides all others
• If not defined, the system falls back to customer-level settings
• If still undefined, environment defaults are applied

Best Practices

To avoid unexpected behavior:

• Ensure TTL and Data Retention are aligned across all configuration levels
• Contact EasySend support for any required Customer Settings configurations
• Double-check configurations at the process level, especially due to the current validation gap
• Avoid relying on fallback values unless intentionally designed
• Keep configurations consistent across environments