TMS Purge Log Plan not working

[Marnus van der Nest]

Hi

I have a TMS server on version 15.6 and our SQL TMSNG_log is 191 GB big. I enabled and ticked all the boxes to enable purging for all fields See attached. But the Purging is not taking place as the log file is still 191GB big. Note this is not the log files in the Program Files this is the SQL log db on the SQL server itself. We need to clear some space and the Activity status also does not show a schedule for when Purging will take place. Is there a way to make sure that it runs?

[JFerello]

That's the SQL log file, the log purge would have nothing to do with that log file.  The only way to get that down in size is to backup the SQL database, using a backup program that is designed for SQL backups; like Windows Backup.

[Marnus van der Nest]

 how will backing up the DB make it smaller? I don't want to remove it I just want to delete old data.

[JFerello]

I am not sure how it works in detail, but the LDF is all the transactions that have taken place to the MDF database file.  The way SQL works is that it will not delete the transactions/log file until SQL knows that the transactions have been "committed".  The way it knows this, is by do a FULL backup on the SQL database in which it verifies the transactions have been committed and backed up, then it deletes them from the LDF.

[Marnus van der Nest]

I did do a FULL backup and the file is still 190 GB and growing. 

[JFerello]

Did you use Windows Backup? I just did some more research and it appears that Windows Backup will not decrease the transaction log. You need to do the backup via SQL Studio Manager.

[Marnus van der Nest]

yes did the backup from SQL