I’ve recently expanded the Netwrix Audit Database retention from 6 months to 14 months and need to understand the storage impact this change will have on both Netwrix and its SQL Server.
Could you please provide:
Any official documentation or guidance on how increased retention affects SQL database size or disk utilization.
Recommended ways to measure and predict when storage will reach 80–90% usage.
Any formulas, reports, or best practices Netwrix suggests to calculate and justify expected storage growth.
We need to document the analysis and determine when we may need to increase SQL storage again. I’ve already checked the support portal but couldn’t find a clear reference. This is bit urgent Hence, please respond asap.
Welcome, and thank you for reaching out. I’ll do my best to address your questions in detail.
When increasing database retention, the impact on storage depends heavily on your environment’s activity volume and record types. Without knowing your daily event volume, it’s difficult to provide a precise estimate, as both the number and type of audited activities influence growth. For example, File Server events tied to large permission changes consume far more space than simple logon activities.
Monitoring SQL and Netwrix Storage Usage
The best way to monitor SQL database growth is by reviewing the Netwrix Auditor Health Summary email. This summary provides key metrics about your environment’s overall health, including total database size and daily growth trends. Watching this over time will help you identify spikes and project how long your current free space will last before reaching 80–90% capacity.
Measuring and Predicting Storage Growth
You can use the daily growth percentage from the Health Summary to estimate future requirements. For example, if your database grows by 1% daily and you currently have 30% free space, you can estimate when you’ll reach your threshold and plan expansion accordingly. This trend-based approach is typically the most reliable method since it reflects real-world activity in your environment.
Additional Optimization Recommendations
Shrink databases periodically: When Auditor purges old data, it does not automatically shrink SQL database files. SQL will reuse this freed space for new records, but if certain databases are no longer actively collecting data, manually shrinking them in SQL Server Management Studio can help reclaim unused space.
Remove unused databases: If any Monitoring Plans have been deleted in Netwrix Auditor, their corresponding databases may still exist in SQL. Since retention policies no longer apply to these, you can safely delete them to recover additional disk space.
By combining regular monitoring through the Health Summary with periodic SQL maintenance, you’ll be able to both measure and manage your storage efficiently.
Michael Purdin
Manager, Technical Support Engineering
