OK for others who may want to do this, this is what I did.
To figure out dates:
https://www.epochconverter.com/To find all entries since 2017:
select * from ubbt_private_message_topics where topic_time > 1483251102
To find all entries since 2018:
select * from ubbt_private_message_topics where topic_time > 1514787102;
Turns out all the entries since 2017 were just my welcome messages. So there was no harm in clearing out the entire message library. Still, to play it safe and run controlled queries:
SELECT max(topic_id) from ubbt_private_message_topics;
max ID is 20199
That was the most recent welcome message I'd sent.
Then:
delete from ubbt_private_message_posts where topic_id <= 20199;
66397 rows
delete from ubbt_private_message_topics where topic_id <= 20199;
16133 rows
delete from ubbt_private_message_users where topic_id <= 20199;
20614 rows
My private messages area is now wholly clear. Which makes my preparation for the upcoming GDPR rollout a bit easier. Any website owner who has access to the email address or IP address of any web visitor from Europe has to comply with these.
https://websitesbydiane.com/web-design/gdpr-for-website-owners-small-businesses/Ask with any questions!
