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Understanding and Managing Fluent Forms Entry Storage in Your Database

20 threads Sep 16, 2025

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Many WordPress users rely on Fluent Forms for their contact forms, surveys, and quizzes. A common topic of discussion in the community revolves around how the plugin handles and stores form submission entries in the database. Users often seek ways to manage these entries to prevent their database from becoming unnecessarily large, especially when submissions are being sent elsewhere, like an email inbox or an integrated CRM such as FluentCRM.

The Core of the Matter: Why Entries Are Stored

By design, Fluent Forms stores every form submission as an entry in your WordPress database. This is a fundamental feature that provides a reliable backup of all your data, allows you to review submissions within your WordPress dashboard, and enables integrations with other plugins like Ninja Tables. However, this can lead to a large database over time if not managed, which is a concern for many site owners.

Common User Queries and Solutions

1. The Desire to Disable Entry Storage Entirely

A frequently requested feature is a global setting to completely disable entry storage. Users who primarily use forms to collect emails for a newsletter or to send contact information directly to a mailbox may see the database entries as redundant. Analysis of community threads indicates that a built-in option to disable entry storage globally is not available in the free version of Fluent Forms. This functionality appears to be a feature often associated with the Pro version.

2. Auto-Deletion of Entries After Submission

For users looking to keep their database lean, the most commonly suggested solution is to use the auto-deletion feature. This setting, found within the Form Settings for individual forms, can be configured to delete entry data immediately after submission or after a specified number of days. It is important to note that this is a per-form setting and not a global one.

Important Caveat: Some users have reported that when the auto-delete feature is used, the main entry is removed from the wp_fluentform_submissions table, but related metadata might remain in the wp_fluentform_submission_meta table. Manual deletion of entries from the WordPress admin interface does not have this issue and removes all associated data completely.

3. Manual and Bulk Entry Management

For those who wish to keep entries for a short period but clean them up periodically, manual deletion is an option. Within the Fluent Forms Entries dashboard for a specific form, you can bulk-select and delete entries. It is not possible to delete entries across all forms simultaneously from the admin panel. Users have also inquired about allowing front-end users to delete their own entries, but this is not a native functionality of the plugin.

4. Direct Database Query Considerations

Advanced users sometimes query the Fluent Forms database tables (like fluentform_entry_details) directly to display data in other systems. A crucial point to remember is that when an entry is "deleted" in the WordPress admin, it is typically soft-deleted (trashed) and not permanently removed from the database. Therefore, your custom SQL queries must include a filter to check the entry's status (e.g., WHERE status != 'trashed') to avoid pulling in data that appears deleted from the plugin's interface.

Best Practices for Database Management

  • Evaluate Need: First, decide if you need to keep submission entries at all. If your workflow depends on another system (like a CRM), auto-deleting after submission may be ideal.
  • Use Per-Form Settings: Configure the auto-deletion settings on a form-by-form basis within each form's Form Settings.
  • Schedule Regular Cleanups: If you need to keep entries for a short time, set a schedule to periodically bulk-delete old entries from the Entries page.
  • Handle Queries with Care: If building custom integrations with the database, always account for the plugin's trash system by filtering out entries with a 'trashed' status.

Understanding how Fluent Forms interacts with your database empowers you to make informed decisions about managing your website's data and performance effectively.

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