Field note / 19 August 2010
Leave SQL autogrowth enabled, but make it predictable
Turning off a safety net is not a capacity plan. A sensible growth increment and a monitoring routine are better controls.
Disabling autogrowth can seem like a way to force capacity planning. In practice it converts a gradual storage increase into a hard failure when a database reaches its limit. A SharePoint farm needs a safety net, especially when content growth is uneven or a maintenance window is missed.
The better approach is to keep growth enabled and make it predictable. Choose an increment large enough to avoid frequent small expansions, but small enough that a single event does not cause a long stall. Review the setting for each database rather than applying one value everywhere.
Monitor the space before it becomes urgent
Track database size, free space on the volume and growth rate together. Include the log files and the backup destination. A database with plenty of internal free space can still fail because the disk holding its log or backup has filled.
Test a growth event during a maintenance window. Confirm that the storage can deliver the required write rate while the database expands. Then document the expected increment, the alert threshold and the person who responds when the threshold is crossed.
The short list
Checks worth running
- Keep autogrowth enabled and review the increment per database.
- Monitor data, log and backup volumes together.
- Test the growth path and record the alert owner.
Autogrowth is a control that buys time. It is not a substitute for capacity planning, but a predictable increment and a good alert turn it into a useful one.
Outside reading
Reference shelf
Official documentation and independent community reading for the subjects in this note.
- Microsoft Learn: SQL Server documentation (opens in a new tab)Official reference material for database engine configuration, performance and recovery.
- Microsoft Learn: Server memory configuration (opens in a new tab)How SQL Server allocates memory and how the maximum server memory setting is applied.
- Microsoft Learn: SQL Server security (opens in a new tab)Authentication, permissions and protection features in the database engine.
- Microsoft Learn: Always On availability groups (opens in a new tab)Architecture and operational overview for SQL Server high availability groups.
- Microsoft Learn: SharePoint administration (opens in a new tab)Operational guidance for service settings, site management and the modern admin experience.
- Microsoft Support (opens in a new tab)Support articles, troubleshooting steps and product help from Microsoft.
- Microsoft Tech Community (opens in a new tab)Community discussion, product announcements and practical posts from Microsoft teams.
- Microsoft Learn Q&A (opens in a new tab)A community question and answer space hosted by Microsoft.
- SharePoint Stack Exchange (opens in a new tab)An independent question and answer community for SharePoint practitioners.
- Microsoft Learn: Windows Server documentation (opens in a new tab)Current guidance for Windows Server roles, networking, storage and management.
- Microsoft Download Center (opens in a new tab)Official downloads for Microsoft tools, updates and supporting packages.
- Microsoft Learn: Soft NUMA in SQL Server (opens in a new tab)Background on SQL Server NUMA configuration for large processor layouts.
- Microsoft Learn: SharePoint documentation (opens in a new tab)The starting point for current SharePoint administration, development and hybrid guidance.
- Microsoft Learn: SharePoint search (opens in a new tab)Documentation for search architecture, crawling and result management.
- Microsoft Learn: PowerShell documentation (opens in a new tab)Language reference, cmdlet documentation and guidance for repeatable automation.