How to shrink a file using SQL Server Management Studio

How to shrink a file using SQL Server Management Studio

With Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Management Studio, you can shrink a transaction log file in a database to remove unused pages. The database engine reuses space effectively. In some cases, a transaction log file grows unexpectedly, you may have to shrink the transaction log file manually.

1. Run Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Studio.

2. Expand Databases and then right-click the database that you want to shrink.

3. Point to Tasks, point to Shrink, and then click Files.

4. Select the file type and file name.

5. Optionally, select the Release unused space check box.

Selecting this option causes any unused space in the file to be released to the operating system and shrinks the file to the last allocated extent. This reduces the file size without moving any data.

6. Optionally, select the Reorganize files before releasing unused space check box. If this is selected, the Shrink file to value must be specified. By default, the option is cleared.

Selecting this option causes any unused space in the file to be released to the operating system and tries to relocate rows to unallocated pages.

7. Optionally, enter the maximum percentage of free space to be left in the database file after the database has been shrunk. Permissible values are between 0 and 99. This option is only available when Reorganize files before releasing unused space is enabled.

8.Optionally, select the Empty file by migrating the data to other files in the same filegroup check box.

Selecting this option moves all data from the specified file to other files in the filegroup. The empty file can then be deleted. This option is the same as executing DBCC SHRINKFILE with the EMPTYFILE option.

9. Click OK.

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