What's the best way to decrease SQL Server table size?

Data and Databases
1

Hey everyone, I’m dealing with a big table in SQL Server and need some help making it smaller. It’s got over 2 million rows and takes up about 355 GB. Each row is about 151 KB.

I thought the varbinary(max) column was the issue, so I set it to null for most rows. But that didn’t help much. I’ve already tried these commands:

DBCC CLEANTABLE (mydb, 'mytable', 1000)
ALTER INDEX ALL ON mytable REBUILD

The table has stuff like document IDs, client info, file details, and timestamps. Here’s a simplified version of the structure:

CREATE TABLE mytable (
    DocID int PRIMARY KEY,
    ClientID int,
    FamilyCode varchar(10),
    FileName varchar(255),
    FileType varchar(50),
    CreatedDate datetime,
    CreatedBy varchar(100),
    FileContent varbinary(max)
    -- other columns...
);

Any ideas on how to shrink this table? Thanks in advance!

2

I’ve faced similar challenges with large SQL Server tables. One effective strategy I’ve employed is partitioning. By splitting the table into smaller, more manageable chunks based on a relevant column (like CreatedDate), you can significantly improve query performance and make maintenance easier.

Another approach that’s worked well for me is implementing data archiving. Move older, less frequently accessed data to a separate archive table or database. This can dramatically reduce the size of your main table while keeping historical data accessible when needed.

Lastly, consider optimizing your indexing strategy. Proper indexes can reduce the overall space required and improve query performance. Analyze your most common queries and create targeted indexes to support them efficiently.

3

hmm, interesting problem! have you considerd using column store indexes? they can drastically reduce storage space for large tables. also, maybe look into temporal tables? theyre great for managing historical data without bloating ur main table. what kinda queries do u usually run on this data?

4

have u tried compression? it can really help shrink tables. also, maybe look at vertical partitioning - split less-used columns into separate tables. and def check ur indexes, sometimes dropping unused ones frees up space. good luck with ur table issue!