Chapter 37 What Happens When the 2-GB Limit Is Reached
Chapter 37 What Happens When the 2-GB Limit Is Reached
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ccess 2010 still has a 2-GB limit in terms of file size. The database cannot grow
beyond this. I think this is because Microsoft would rather you purchase SQL
Server once you get to a database of this size!
If you are importing loads of data from text files, and many applications that I have
worked on do have loads of data, it is very easy to reach this limit. Even if you are deleting
old data, the memory is not released until you compact the database.
However, once your database size goes through the 2-GB limit, you are in serious trouble.
This can easily happen if a user imports a text file that pushes the database over the limit. The
text file can have a problem with it in that someone may choose to extract a week’s worth of
data instead of one day’s worth, but users don’t always look at file sizes when importing data,
and they certainly have no idea of the consequences!
Once over the 2-GB limit, your database will not run at all. Anything you try will prompt the
error message “invalid argument,” which is not very helpful in informing you what is wrong.
Even if you try to compact and repair the database, you will still get this error message.
In short, your application is trashed and totally useless. Hopefully, your application will
have been backed up every night and your latest backup copy can be used as a fallback.
However, if you do not have this luxury, how do you get out of this situation?
It is a situation that I have been in on more than one occasion. The solution is to first
create a new blank database. You then size the application window so only the Navigation
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