Frequently asked question
How do I prevent the ArcGIS Data Store backup directory from growing too large?
Answer
The data store creates base backups and transaction logs. By default, a backup is created every seven days, with a backup retention of 31 days.This means that the data store can be recovered to any point in time during the last 31 (or more) days by restoring a backup and applying up to seven days of transaction logs. The transaction logs are maintained based on the value of the backup retain days and the availability of a backup. The transaction logs are cleaned up by the data store maintenance schedule, which by default runs at midnight.
When the maintenance task occurs (e.g., 12:00 AM) the available backups are checked and if a backup exists before the time and date based on the value set for the backup retain days, then transaction logs can be cleaned up. Otherwise the cleanup occurs after the next scheduled backup, after the ArcGIS Data Store scheduled maintenance task runs.
For example, if a backup exists on August 10, created at 2:00 PM, and the backup frequency is every one days, and the backup retain days is set to two days, on August 13 the maintenance task runs at midnight and all backups and transaction logs prior to August 11 at 2:00 PM are cleaned up.
The reason that the transaction logs did not clear on August 12 is that it was a little shy of the two full days set by the backup retain days. The transaction logs for August 10 at 2:00 PM through August 11 at 12:00 AM were still dependent on the backup taken at August 10 at 2:00 PM, so the backup and transaction logs could not be deleted.
The backup location housing the ArcGIS Data Store must have enough disk space to maintain the transaction logs and backup files. To prevent the backup directory from becoming too large, consider decreasing the backup file retention period and increasing the backup frequency. This can be done by running the two data store commands below and restarting the ArcGIS Data Store service. The example below shows setting the backup retains days and backup schedule to two days and restarting the service.
1. Open an command prompt window using the 'Run As Administrator' option, and navigate to the ArcGIS datastore directory. The default installation path is:
C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\datastore\tools
2. Run the following commands:
• updatebackupretaindays.bat 2
• updatebackupschedule.bat --frequency 2
3. Restart the ArcGIS Data Store service.
Article ID: 000012584
Software:
- ArcGIS Server
Receive notifications and find solutions for new or common issues
Get summarized answers and video solutions from our new AI chatbot.
Related Information
Discover more on this topic
Search for related information
Find training related to this topic
Explore ideas and give feedback
Get help from ArcGIS experts
Download the Esri Support App