Episode 218 | February 17, 2021 | 31 minutes

File Growths

In this episode of the SQL Data Partners Podcast, Eugene and I go back to our DBA beginnings and talk about database file growth, how to manage files and how to tell when a file has grown.

DECLARE @current_tracefilename VARCHAR(500);
DECLARE @0_tracefilename VARCHAR(500);
DECLARE @indx INT;
SELECT @current_tracefilename = path
FROM sys.traces
WHERE is_default = 1;
SET @current_tracefilename = REVERSE(@current_tracefilename);
SELECT @indx = PATINDEX(‘%\%’, @current_tracefilename);
SET @current_tracefilename = REVERSE(@current_tracefilename);
SET @0_tracefilename = LEFT(@current_tracefilename, LEN(@current_tracefilename) – @indx) + ‘\log.trc’;
SELECT DatabaseName,
te.name,
Filename,
CONVERT(DECIMAL(10, 3), Duration / 1000000e0) AS TimeTakenSeconds,
StartTime,
EndTime,
(IntegerData * 8.0 / 1024) AS ‘ChangeInSize MB’,
ApplicationName,
HostName,
LoginName
FROM ::fn_trace_gettable(@0_tracefilename, DEFAULT) t
INNER JOIN sys.trace_events AS te ON t.EventClass = te.trace_event_id
WHERE(trace_event_id >= 92
AND trace_event_id <= 95)
ORDER BY t.StartTime;

3 Takeaways

As administrators, we should keep ahead of database growth events.
Your data rate of change will determine how often this affects a system.
If there was slowness and now all is well, you might check growth history for clues.

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Meet the Hosts

Carlos Chacon

With more than 10 years of working with SQL Server, Carlos helps businesses ensure their SQL Server environments meet their users’ expectations. He can provide insights on performance, migrations, and disaster recovery. He is also active in the SQL Server community and regularly speaks at user group meetings and conferences. He helps support the free database monitoring tool found at databasehealth.com and provides training through SQL Trail events.

Eugene Meidinger

Eugene works as an independent BI consultant and Pluralsight author, specializing in Power BI and the Azure Data Platform. He has been working with data for over 8 years and speaks regularly at user groups and conferences. He also helps run the GroupBy online conference.

Kevin Feasel

Kevin is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and proprietor of Catallaxy Services, LLC, where he specializes in T-SQL development, machine learning, and pulling rabbits out of hats on demand. He is the lead contributor to Curated SQL, president of the Triangle Area SQL Server Users Group, and author of the books PolyBase Revealed (Apress, 2020) and Finding Ghosts in Your Data: Anomaly Detection Techniques with Examples in Python (Apress, 2022). A resident of Durham, North Carolina, he can be found cycling the trails along the triangle whenever the weather's nice enough.

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