A method transfers data to be archived from a runtime database into an archive database. A temporary database acts as a buffer database for a selected data record set for archiving. For each table of the runtime table subset, the selected record subset to be archived is copied into its corresponding table of the temporary table set. For each table of the temporary table set, the selected record subset to be archived is copied into its corresponding table of the archive table subset. For each table of the temporary table set, a temporary deletion table containing a set of primary keys of the records to be deleted from the runtime database is created. In the runtime database, for each runtime table having a corresponding temporary deletion table of the set of temporary deletion tables, deleting records having a primary key matching the primary key set of its corresponding temporary table.