Question

DBCC Shrinkfile with emptyfile help requested

Asked by: Promethyl

In Microsoft SQL Server we deleted a lot of data in a column in our table by updating with NULLS, which has not been reclaimed.

I am currently running dbcc shrinkfile (datafile, emptyfile) to empty the file into another on the same drive.

It's working and it's removing data from the primary data file and moving it to the second data file.

However, the system will run out of disk space before It's completed.

How do I shrink the bulk-logged database file while the dbcc shrinkfile emptyfile is running?

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Asked On
2007-07-26 at 14:23:30ID22724081
Tags

dbcc

,

shrinkfile

,

emptyfile

Topic

MS SQL Server

Participating Experts
2
Points
0
Comments
9

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Answers

 

by: ispalenyPosted on 2007-07-30 at 17:44:35ID: 19597007

Terminate the shrink operation. Any completed work is retained.
From http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190488.aspx

 

by: PromethylPosted on 2007-07-30 at 19:22:05ID: 19597366

Yes, the work is retained, but the file is not shrunk.

 

by: ispalenyPosted on 2007-07-31 at 01:39:40ID: 19598571

Backup the log.
Or shrink it without backup:
BACKUP LOG YourDatabase WITH TRUNCATE_ONLY

 

by: PromethylPosted on 2007-07-31 at 06:04:32ID: 19599960

It is not the log file which has grown. It's the database file.

Doing this sort of shrinkfile, the database datafile now has lots of free space, but the log file is 1M.

 

by: ispalenyPosted on 2007-07-31 at 11:36:39ID: 19602981

I.Try to free some space first:
1. Shrink datafile to the last occupied extent (db sector)
    DBCC shrinkfile (datafile, TRUNCATEONLY)
2. Shrink all database files to the last occupied extent (db sector)
    DBCC shrinkdatabase(N'YourDatabase',  TRUNCATEONLY )

II. Else defragment structures.
   Compressed tables with packed indexes are better read, but worse written.
   You can change table fill ratio in db maintenance job later.
1.Shrink datafile with defragmentation
    a) partial - specify number for target_MB_size parameter
    DBCC shrinkfile (datafile,target_MB_size)
    b) full
    DBCC shrinkfile (datafile)
2. Shrink all database files with defragmentation
    a) partial - specify number for target_percent_integer parameter
    DBCC shrinkdatabase(N'YourDatabase',target_percent_integer)
    b) full
    DBCC shrinkdatabase(N'YourDatabase')

 

by: PromethylPosted on 2007-07-31 at 14:31:21ID: 19604403

I'm running th shrinkfile on the datafile, and it's not getting smaller. Any ideas?

 

by: PromethylPosted on 2007-10-01 at 11:16:10ID: 19992687

Actual answer was to backup the datafile first and then shrink. You cannot shrink the pages until they've been backed up.
 

 

by: Kevin3NFPosted on 2007-12-01 at 10:33:51ID: 20388857

Did you notice any negative effects of the TRUNCATEONLY option on the datafile?  I've used it many times on a logfile....

Thanks

 

by: PromethylPosted on 2008-06-05 at 10:13:45ID: 21721774

Well, I suppose if you're releasing size, it fragments the drive horribly over time.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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