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Retention cut chart

What a retention window keeps and frees.

Definition · Updated Nov 2, 2026

A retention cut chart shows stored data by age with a cut line at the retention window, so you see what would be kept, what would be freed and which items fall on each side. Use it for logs, traces and backups.

Pay once. Every update included.

Live preview

Stored data by age and the retention cutStored data per day of age falls from 4.1 GB today to 2.171 GB at 120 days. A cut at 60 days (now 90) keeps 222 GB and frees 90 GB; 3 open postmortems fall inside the kept range.2 GB4 GBKEPT 222 GBFREED 90 GBGONEROLLBACKREFUNDSREINDEXSQL · CLOSEDTODAY60 DAYS120 DAYSKEPTFREEDGONE ALREADYNOW · 90 DAYS
Stored data by age and the retention cut
Age (days)Stored (GB per day)
04.1
303.753
603.3
902.655
1202.171

Sample data: stored traces by age, a 60-day cut keeps 222 GB and frees 90 GB, against today's 90 days

Size
Legend
Data shape
Size by age, a retention window
Good for
Logs, traces, backups
Avoid when
There is no retention rule
Sizes
XS, S, M and L, re-laid out from the data

Anatomy

Inspect it like the Figma file.

The same layers, names and tokens as the component. Select one to read its size, fill and style.

Layers

130 / Retention cut

chart/130-retention-cut
plot · retention cut
Layer
freed
Type
Vector
Size
180 × 131
Fill
status/warning
Group
Marks · 12

Layers

130 / Retention cut

chart/130-retention-cut
plot · retention cut
Layer
freed
Type
Vector
Size
59 × 44
Fill
status/warning
Group
Marks · 12

Sizes

Re-laid out, never scaled.

The same data at XS, S, M and L. Every size is redrawn from the data, so text and line weights never shrink.

M against S

Width360 px480 px

Plot328 px440 px

Labels1314

Marks1212

Height212 px246 px

Same tokens at every size: text styles, 1 px lines and mark radius stay put.

When to use

What the cut would free.

Three signs it fits, and three signs another type fits better.

Is there a retention window?

Plain storage by item.

Yes: Keep the retention cut

Is it by age?

Usage against plan limits.

Yes: Keep the retention cut

Do named items matter?

Just the total by age.

Yes: Keep the retention cut

Code and Figma

One name in Figma and in code.

Every Figma property is a prop with the same name and values. One command installs it.

Figma

chart/130-retention-cut

size
legend
Property = propValuesDefault
size"xs" · "s" · "m" · "l""xs"
legendtrue · falsetrue
color"cat-1" · "cat-2" · "cat-3" · "cat-4""cat-1"
npx shadcn add @chartory/retention-cut
retention-cut.tsx
import { RetentionCut } from "@/components/chartory/retention-cut"import { traceStorage } from "./trace-storage"export function TraceStorage() {  return (    <RetentionCut      data={traceStorage}      size="m"      legend={true}    />  )}

Hearth widget

Retention cut as a widget.

The chart in a Hearth card with a hero number and two blocks. One token set, light and dark.

Get the code

EmberPreset

ChartoryDefault preset

Pick the blocks, the size and the preset for your own widget.

Read the Hearth widget docs

FAQ

Retention cut questions.

What people ask before they put a retention cut in a dashboard.

Something else?

hello@usechartory.com
  • Things worth checking before the cut, each pinned at its age (vector reindex · 47 d), so nobody loses data they still need.

Related types

The same question, a different shape of answer. Every type ships in Figma and in code.

Same family

Distribution

17 types in Chartory answer this question.