Hi,
We are in the process of selecting a database for a data warehouse type
application. I want to get a feel for how big can a SQL Server database
get. As per Microsoft, it can be multiple terabytes. Can you tell me

What is the biggest size SQL server database you manage? (I understand
big is a relative term. I consider 500+ Gig as big).
Do you see any major performance problems due to size of the database?
(Given that the database is designed optimally).
Really appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Joseph

Have you seen:
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/administration/2000/scalability.asp

Performance is determined by many factors other than database size. With the
right implementation SQLServer can of course scale to many terabytes.

--
David Portas
SQL Server MVP
--

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Biggest I manage is 37 Gig. And I don't consider that all that big.


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No. Generally major performance problems are due to design and code, not DB
size.

The bigger issues are things like disaster recovery. DR for a 1 gig DB that
needs to be available 9-5 is far easier than a 500GB that has to be 24x&.


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I think the answer depends on your server and network environment. The
biggest "database" I work with has 60 gigs of data per calendar year.
There is a separate database for each calendar year. We keep 5 years
worth of data on-line. Why separate databases? It's easier to reindex
an entire database than only a portion of one. It's also easier to
backup and restore an entire database than only a portion of one.

Suppose you have a 500 gig database. Some questions you need to ask:
a) how long does it take to back up
b) how long does it take to reindex
c) how long does it take to mount it from tape
d) how long does it take to move/copy the backup and data files across
your network
e) how long does it take to restore

There are companies like ScalabilityExperts.com who can set-up a
multiple Tbyte database for you. Being mere mortals, we just break
them out into smaller databases.