It often happens like it does with traditional market research. It might be a tracking study that takes place every week or every month for the next year, two years, or three years, so we can track trends over time. In that case, the research data is held until that particular project is finished. If it's finished next year or the year after, then that project is closed and we no longer require that data.
In the meantime, another client may have picked up on that same type of project. I mentioned Nike earlier. Let's say that one client is using Nike data and they finish on one date. Another client may start using the Nike data and continue on. For a popular brand, that stretch of data may be continually closed and opened, closed and opened—it might be ongoing.
For a smaller research project, a one-time project, we use the data, and if nobody else is going to use it, then we no longer require it and we can get rid of it.