About 5 days ago I tried to purge and permanently remove 200/300gb of data to clear up some space. Data says it has been purged but hasn’t disappeared from my dashboard or cleared from my disc space. What do I need to do remove this data completely - Is it a matter of waiting for it to clear as it’s a large volume of data or is it something I’ve done incorrectly?
Thanks
Welcome @slb
If the data was permanently deleted (purged), it should fully clear out in about a day.
Which server are you working at? We’ll need the URL at the top of your browser window – just the first part is enough. Maybe we can investigate there.
Also, would you like to share some screenshots from your User → Preferences → Storage Dashboard? Maybe we can help to spot what might need to be done if the server checks out Ok.
In short, data needs to be marked as deleted first. That can be individual datasets, or many, and entire histories can be removed too. Data already marked as deleted will show up in the top levels of the Storage Dashboard. To drill into a particular history, use the little database icon at the top of it.
How copies of datasets work: all exact copies are pointers back to the original file. This means that several copies all use the same storage space (and only are “counted” once). Example: you have two copies of a large dataset, and delete just one of them. The storage will not clear out and instead both need to be removed to clear the space.
Also, when reviewing data, sometimes going to your My Histories view can be helpful. You’ll be able to see where your data is grouped, and can toggle on “deleted” and “purged” too. Switch and review individual histories using disc icon for each – you’ll be able to sort by the largest files, then find them using the links. I use this when I have a very large file (maybe a reference fasta) and am not sure where it is exactly or how many copies I had. You can also do this under My Datasets since it will list all of your files, all copies, in any history, all together.
Let’s start there! 