Skip to main content

SQL Server Express Database Size Reached 10GB

Question​

Database size reached 10GB − the following database state is prompted:

Failed to store data
Unable to allocate additional space to save data to the Audit Database

Is it still possible to use SQL Server Express instead of the Standard or Enterprise editions?

Answer​

While it is highly recommended to implement either a SQL Server Standard or Enterprise edition in a production environment, you can still use SQL Server Express. Due to the 10GB database size limitation, you may encounter errors related to the inability to store data in the Health Status dashboard. Refer to the following steps to optimize the use of Express edition in your environment:

  • Recreate the database for the monitoring plan:

    IMPORTANT: The monitoring plan data collected previously will be available in the Long-Term Archive. Refer to the following article for additional information on investigations:Investigations

    1. Confirm the name of the affected database − it should be stated both in the error message and Database Statistics. The Database Statistics data will also include the affected monitoring plan name.

    2. Disable the data collection for the affected monitoring plan − in the main Netwrix Auditor screen, select Monitoring Plans > %affected_monitoring_plan% > Edit > Edit data source > switch the Monitor this data source and collect activity data switch off > click Save & Close.

      NOTE: To confirm the affected database is used in the monitoring plan, click Edit settings under the Monitoring Plan section in the monitoring plan view, and click the Audit Database tab.

    3. In your Netwrix Auditor server, run the following line in elevated PowerShell to stop Netwrix Auditor Archive Service:

      Stop-Service -DisplayName "Netwrix Auditor Archive Service"

    4. In your SQL server, open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. Connect to your SQL instance and locate the Databases subfolder under the server node in the left pane.

    5. Locate the affected database, right-click it and select Delete.

    6. In the Delete Object window, check the Close existing connections checkbox, and click OK.

    7. In your Netwrix Auditor server, run the following lines in elevated PowerShell to start Netwrix Auditor Archive Service and restart Netwrix Auditor Management Service:

      Start-Service -DisplayName "Netwrix Auditor Archive Service"
      Restart-Service -DisplayName "Netwrix Auditor Management Service"

    8. Enable the data collection − in the affected monitoring plan view, click Edit data source > in the General tab, switch the Monitor this data source and collect activity data switch on. Click Save & Close.

  • Split items in multiple monitoring plans to decrease the amount of data written to a single database.

  • Decrease the database retention period. Refer to the following article for additional information: How to Reduce Audit Database Size for Netwrix Auditor