Extrapolating Db Size [growth] over time?

  • From 2010 I have database sizes for each of Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, but not

    May - Dec.

    Can I accurately extrapolate db size growth for May - Dec based on growth rates for Jan to Apr?

    Is there a formula or process that can handle this well (accurately)?

    Thanks,

    Zee

    Roswell, GA

  • It's always going to be a best guess.

    One way I use to trace this is look at the full backup size (daily in my case). That shows you the real spaced used.

    then you can guess from there on out using deltas between dates.

    the real problem is what happens in the business?

    Slow months? Christmas? Fast Growth? Unexpected growth? New modules added in the system? Buying out a company? Adding new report tables? Adding ETL or SSAS?

    Your best estimate is always going to be your measuring stick. Just make sure you keep your formula around so that you can adjust it and redo the maths as you get more info.

  • As Ninja said, it's a guesstimate, not a science. But you can average out your monthly growth as a baseline, then talk to the business about upcoming trends. If the business is pushing out new products or expanding into new areas, the sales and marketing team should have an idea of how much more growth they "expect" above what you're usually doing. Factor in the maximum of that and it should keep you safe for a while.

    Should be the operative word. There are no guarantees.

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

  • If you don't purge your full backup history, you can use that to get growth over time. It will show backup size, not dabase size, but the growth percentage should be good. I do the math after exporting to Excel.

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