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ALTER DATABASE

The ALTER DATABASE statement updates storage-related settings for an existing MotherDuck database. This statement applies to MotherDuck native storage databases (standard or transient). DuckLake databases do not support these options.

Syntax​

ALTER DATABASE <database_name> SET SNAPSHOT_RETENTION_DAYS = <days>

Options​

Currently, the only supported option is snapshot_retention_days.

NameData TypeDescription
SNAPSHOT_RETENTION_DAYSINTEGERNumber of days to retain automatic and unnamed snapshots. Must be a non-negative integer and within your plan limits. 0 disables historical snapshots. Named snapshots are retained until unnamed.

Notes​

Use ALTER DATABASE SET SNAPSHOT to restore a database to a snapshot.

Refer to the snapshots guide for snapshot behavior and to Storage lifecycle for plan limits on retention.

Plan limits​

For standard and transient databases, SNAPSHOT_RETENTION_DAYS is limited by plan:

  • Business: 0-90 days
  • Lite (paid): 1 day (min/max)
  • Lite (free): 0 days (min/max)

Examples​

ALTER DATABASE my_db SET snapshot_retention_days = 7;