> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.validio.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Segment Usage and Metric Retention

> How a segmentation's segment usage and a validator's window size decide how long Validio keeps metrics.

The segment limit defines the number of allowed segments. Higher segment usage reduces metric retention and limits how much historical data can be ingested initially. You choose the segment usage when you [configure a segmentation](https://docs.validio.io/v10.3/docs/segmentation/segmentation-configuration.md).

Historical data and metric retention depends on the configured window size. For more information, see [About Windows](https://docs.validio.io/v10.3/docs/windows.md).

## Retention periods

There is no single retention period for metrics. The following tables list the retention periods for each segment limit based on configured window sizes. Older metrics are removed once they pass the retention period.

Each column covers a range of window sizes: **hourly** covers windows from 1 hour up to 1 day, **daily** from 1 day up to 7 days, **weekly** from 7 days up to 30 days, **monthly** from 30 days up to 360 days, and **yearly** 360 days or longer. For [global windows](https://docs.validio.io/v10.3/docs/windows/configuring-global-windows.md), the column is chosen from the source's polling schedule, and defaults to daily when the source has no polling schedule. Metadata-based validators always use the hourly retention for the Minimal segment limit (120 days).

### Windows shorter than 7 days

| Segment Limit | Under 1 hour | Hourly | Daily |
| :- | :- | :- | :- |
| Minimal (1 segment) | 14 days | 120 days | 365 days |
| Light (100 segments) | 14 days | 120 days | 365 days |
| Medium (300 segments) | 5 days | 30 days | 120 days |
| Heavy (500 segments) | 5 days | 30 days | 90 days |
| Extreme (1K segments) | 3 days | 14 days | 60 days |
| Maximal (see Note) | 3 days | 14 days | 60 days |

### Windows of 7 days or longer

| Segment Limit | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly |
| :- | :- | :- | :- |
| Minimal (1 segment) | 1825 days (\~5 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) |
| Light (100 segments) | 1825 days (\~5 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) |
| Medium (300 segments) | 1460 days (\~4 years) | 3650 days (\~10 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) |
| Heavy (500 segments) | 1460 days (\~4 years) | 3650 days (\~10 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) |
| Extreme (1K segments) | 1095 days (\~3 years) | 3650 days (\~10 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) |
| Maximal (see Note) | 1095 days (\~3 years) | 3650 days (\~10 years) | 7300 days (\~20 years) |

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Access to the Maximal segment limit**
>
> Segment limits are configured per environment, and access to the **Maximal** level is not enabled by default. To request access for your environment, contact your Validio representative or reach out through [Validio support](https://docs.validio.io/v10.3/docs/other/support.md).