# Using SQLite Data Base for temporary data
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-sqlite-data-base-for-temporary-data/30463
**Category:** General
**Created:** [21 July 2020 11:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-sqlite-data-base-for-temporary-data/30463 "2020-07-21T11:31:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@e-Duardo](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/e-Duardo)
#### Post date: [21 July 2020 11:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-sqlite-data-base-for-temporary-data/30463/1 "2020-07-21T11:31:49Z")
I am starting to use SQLite for storing some values from a continuous flow of input data.
My purpose is that the data storage is temporary, and I don't want de DB file to grow forever.
Is there any SQL command (or any thing that I can do) to delete the oldest data so that the number of rows becomes steady? I mean some kind of FIFO...
I guess that I could use the DELETE sql command conditioned to a number given by the command COUNT, but I wonder I is there a more direct command...
---
### Author:  [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)
#### Post date: [21 July 2020 12:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-sqlite-data-base-for-temporary-data/30463/2 "2020-07-21T12:36:35Z")
SQL data isn't necessarily like that so you won't find trimming commands in a SQL db, you need to use a timeseries db like InfluxDB if you want to do that.
However, a delete can use a select statement as a filter (I'm fairly sure, my SQL is a bit rusty). So create a WHERE that selects the date/time values embedded in the data that you want to remove.
```auto
WHERE mydatefield <= 2020-01-01
```
for example (that may be invalid SQL though, as I say, I'm rather rusty.
Here are some alternatives:
>
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### Author:  [@edje11](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/edje11)
#### Post date: [21 July 2020 14:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-sqlite-data-base-for-temporary-data/30463/3 "2020-07-21T14:36:01Z")
I'm using this script in a function node to delete all the data from table **consoles** in my sqlite dbase that's older then 60 days.
```auto
var p_60d = 1000*60*60*24*60 ; //60 Days
var p_30d = 1000*60*60*24*30 ; //30 Days
var p_7d = 1000*60*60*24*7 ; //7 Days
var p_1d = 1000*60*60*24 ; // 1 Day
var p_1u = 1000*60*60; //1 Hour
var d = new Date();
var current = d.getTime();
var fromdate = current - p_60d;
msg.topic ="DELETE FROM consoles WHERE timestamp < " + fromdate + "" ;
return msg;
```
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [21 July 2020 14:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-sqlite-data-base-for-temporary-data/30463/4 "2020-07-21T14:59:36Z")
When you say temporary do you mean seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or what?
You might find that using persistent context storage might be much simpler that using sqlite. [https://nodered.org/docs/user-guide/context](https://nodered.org/docs/user-guide/context)
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [19 September 2020 14:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/using-sqlite-data-base-for-temporary-data/30463/5 "2020-09-19T14:59:47Z")
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