Reduce Record & Storage Space in Your Knack App

Reducing Records and Storage

Hey there! It's Dave from Knack Builders, and today I want to dive into a topic that can help you save both space and money in your Knack app: reducing records and storage usage. Whether you're managing images or files, keeping your storage needs in check can significantly lower your costs. Let’s get started!

The Importance of Image Management

One of the first steps I recommend is managing your image files effectively. Did you know that images taken from smartphones can be quite hefty? For example, an average photo from an iPhone can be around 2 MB. Over time, these files can accumulate and lead to increased storage usage.

In the new builder, resizing images is a breeze. Simply click on your image field, and you’ll find options to resize to web-friendly dimensions. This adjustment can drastically cut down your storage usage. I recently helped a client who was exceeding their 2 GB limit by simply resizing images, reducing their usage to just 800 MB. That’s more than half!

Deleting Unused Assets

Another crucial aspect is managing unused assets. If you've deleted files in your app, they may still be stored for backup purposes, which can unnecessarily eat up space. To free up this storage, head over to your storage settings and look for the "Delete Unused Assets" option.

Just be cautious—once you delete these unused assets, they cannot be recovered. So, ensure you're not in need of any historical backups before proceeding.

Streamlining Your Data Management

Now, let’s talk about data retention. If your company has specific policies regarding how long to keep data, be sure to follow them. For smaller companies without strict data retention policies, consider establishing a process for deleting old records.

For example, if you have order data with images that you don’t need anymore after a certain period (like a year), create a task that clears out the image data without deleting the entire record. This way, you retain important historical data while keeping your storage needs manageable.

Batch Deleting Old Records

While Knack doesn't currently offer a built-in function to automatically delete matching records, you can still streamline the process. For instance, if you’re looking to delete old orders, it’s essential to think through the implications. Deleting an order doesn’t remove related line items, resulting in orphaned records.

To clean up these orphaned records, you can perform batch deletions on related items once you've cleared out the orders. Always remember to work in a copy of your app for safety!

Conclusion

Managing your Knack app's records and storage doesn't have to be a daunting task. By resizing images, deleting unused assets, and strategically managing your data, you can significantly optimize your storage usage and reduce costs. If you found these tips helpful, give it a like, and stay tuned for more insights coming soon!

Thanks for reading, and happy building!

You can check out my Knack database services here:  https://www.knackbuilders.com/knack-database-consulting

Interested? Book an intro call: https://calendly.com/daveparrish/callwithdave