Should I shrink SQL log file?

Question

To reduce the physical size of a physical log file, you must shrink the log file. This is useful when you know that a transaction log file contains unused space. 1 февр. 2021 г.

What does shrinking SQL log file do?

This topic describes how to shrink a data or log file in SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL. Shrinking data files recovers space by moving pages of data from the end of the file to unoccupied space closer to the front of the file.

Is it safe to shrink transaction log?

It's safe, but do it at a quiet time when there's low transactional activity. It's recommended to shrink the log to its minimal size and then grow it to its normal size (this will ensure the correct number of VLFs (internal virtual log files) are created, which improves performance for logged commands).

Is it OK to shrink SQL database?

Shrinking a SQL Server database completely ignores logical index fragmenting, and results in massive fragmentation of all indexes. This can have a negative impact on query performance since it will take longer to 'locate' fragmented indexes.

Why is SQL log file so large?

Large database transactions, such as importing large amounts of data, can lead to a large transaction log file. Transaction log backups not happening fast enough causes the SQL log file to become huge. SQL log files also enlarge due to incomplete replication or availability group synchronization.

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