• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

TheAppTimes

App Reviews, Tutorials, & Gadget News Hub

  • Gadgets
  • How To
  • Apps
  • Software
  • IT
  • Guides
  • Gaming
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home » How To » How to Reclaim Storage Space in Your SQL Server Transaction Log

How to Reclaim Storage Space in Your SQL Server Transaction Log

March 20, 2013

The essence of relational databases is transactional integrity. This transactional integrity can be maintained if all the transactions occurring within the database are kept atomic, i.e. the changes in the log are either applied or not applied. This feature empowers relational database systems (like MS SQL Server) to perform automatic recovery after a system crash or power failure and restore the database to a consistent state. In MS SQL Server, transactional logging is an important characteristic that should be enabled to implement this mechanism.

An important consideration with regards to this is space requirement. In typical situations, you may require both the before and after image of each updated data row to be recorded. Since there will be transaction record overhead for each row that is being logged, the amount of data updated will be much less in size than the log space consumption for narrow rows. The log space consumed usually depends on several variables and it is not easy for you to predict or presume. Some of the prominent reasons for log space exhaustion include large atomic transactions, uncommitted transactions, exceeding the truncation threshold, and exceeding the checkpoint handler truncation bandwidth.

Transactional replication and database mirroring are also prime contributors to transaction log filling up. In both the mechanisms, you need to send a stream of changes to the secondary systems after reading the transaction log. If there are changes in the log that haven’t been read, there is a good chance that the log will grow in size. If your transaction log is full, you might receive random errors on executing queries. All the database operations would fail and your database would come to a grinding halt.

Minimizing Transaction Log Space Consumption

As a workaround to this, you may choose to any of the below given methods for minimizing the transaction log space consumption:

  • You may perform log backups frequently. This will eliminate the need to keep log contents all the time.
  • If you do not intend to perform point-in-time recovery in the near future, you can choose to switch to SQL Server simple recovery model. (Full recovery model is only needed for database mirroring and other similar database configurations)
  • If you are still using SQL Server 2005 or prior versions, you can choose to destroy the log contents manually. However, this is not recommended.

The above mentioned steps will eliminate the need to keep logs. In order to reduce the size of your log file, you will have to shrink it manually using the command DBCC SHRINKFILE. In case you plan to move back to Full recovery mode again after switching to Simple recovery, you must perform full database backup. You will have to manually grow the file via ALTER DATABASE after shrinking it to do away with any performance issues with the log.

Tweet
Share3
WhatsApp
Pin
Buffer
3 Shares

Filed Under: How To

You May Also Like

A Guide To Growing Your Small Business - TAT
A Guide To Growing Your Small Business
The Cost of Creating a New Casino App - TAT
The Cost of Creating a New Casino App | Everything to Know
What My Husband Is Looking at on the Internet_- TAT
How Can I See What My Husband Is Looking at on the Internet?

About Adeline Gear

Adeline is a tech enthusiast who loves exploring the latest tools and applications in the marketplace. She also loves her Android and spends time reviewing apps and playing games when she has the time.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hottest New Gadgets!

iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro - TAT

iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: Which One Should You Choose?

iPhone 15 Pro- TAT

Performance Meets Elegance: Meet the iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15- TAT

iPhone 15 Unveiled: A Closer Look at Apple’s Latest Flagship

Lenovo Legion Go - TAT

Lenovo Legion Go: A Powerful Windows Gaming Handheld Launching in Oct 2023

Best Accessories for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 - TAT

The Best Accessories for the Galaxy Z Fold 5

Popular Tags

android android apps android games android how to apple casino games chrome extensions excel excel how to facebook fitness wearable gadgets gaming gmail google ios apps ios games ios how to ios tips ipad iphone kids apps learn excel management microsoft new releases outlook how to photo apps powerpoint how to productivity Samsung security smartphone smartphones smartwatches software tablet tablets technology twitter web browsers windows 10 word how to xbox youtube

Disclosure

TheAppTimes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Personalize Your Hardware with Razer Skins - TAT

Personalize and Protect Your Gaming Hardware with these Stylish Razer Skins

Best Controllers for Xbox Cloud Gaming - TAT

Best Controllers for Xbox Cloud Gaming

Starfield - TAT

Starfield: Get Ready to Experience a New Frontier in Gaming

Razer Cobra Pro - TAT

Razer Cobra Pro: A Great Gaming Mouse for Competitive Gamers

Best gaming monitors 2023 - TAT

The Best Gaming Monitors for a Truly Immersive Experience

Hot on Amazon

TheAppTimes © 2023 // Runs on StudioPress

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Template Gallery