Microvellum is fully compatible with SQL Servers, with the main supported platform being MS SQL Server Express, which has a hard 10 GB database size limit. When the MicrovellumFactory database approaches that limit, you will see the warning below. If the database fills completely, your software may be unable to complete any work orders (including mid-processing) until more space is available.
There are 2 steps to resolving this problem:
Step 1: Back up and archive any unnecessary projects using Microvellum’s Database Management utility.
Step 2: Shrink the SQL database file on disk using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
Preparations
Before beginning the database cleaning process, there are a handful of things you should ensure you have laid out:
The location where your projects can be exported and archived. Microvellum recommends, if working in a shared environment, keeping this location on a shared drive or shared network file path.
A list of which projects/products/items are safe to archive. Microvellum recommends only archiving completed or obsolete jobs that are not needed for reprocessing. Anything that may still need changes should not be archived.
Access to SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). This software needs to be installed and set up with your specific SQL instance.
Step 1: Archiving Unnecessary Projects
In the software, open Microvellum Settings > Options.
Click the Utilities tab (far right of the tab row).
Under Database Tools, click Database Management.
In the left panel, click Projects.
Expand the Completed category and check the projects you want to archive. Leave any project you may need to reprocess unchecked.
Under Target, click the … button and browse to your archive folder.
Check the box for “Delete Projects After Export.” Without checking this box, no disk space will be freed.
Click Transfer to begin the export.
Partway through the transfer, Microvellum will show a confirmation dialog listing the records that will be deleted. Review the list and click Yes to confirm.
When the export finishes, click OK on the Export Completed dialog, then close Database Management.
NOTE: The database capacity warning will still appear even after clearing this step- this is expected. Proceed to step 2.
Step 2: Shrink the Database in SSMS
Run these steps on the machine hosting your SQL Server instance. If the SQL Server is being run on a separate server entirely, connect to it via SSMS remotely.
Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to your SQL instance.
In Object Explorer, expand Databases and find your MicrovellumFactory database.
Right-click your MicrovellumFactory and select Tasks > Shrink > Database.
In the Shrink Database dialog, leave “Reorganize files before releasing unused space” unchecked, then click OK.
Verifying Database Space
Once step 2 is completed, confirm everything is working:
Re-open Microvellum and confirm the 90% capacity warning does not appear.
Open one of your active projects and confirm it loads normally.
Confirm the export file exists at the archive destination and is not 0 bytes.
Re-Importing an Archived Project
If you need to reprocess an archived project, you can re-import it into Microvellum at any time:
Go to Microvellum Settings > Options > Utilities > Database Management.
Select Import from Selected Source.
Browse to the export file on your file server and click Transfer.
To avoid nearing the 10 GB limit again, Microvellum recommends archiving completed jobs on a quarterly basis. If your shop frequently runs large projects, you might consider upgrading from SQL Express to a full SQL Server, which doesn't have the 10 GB size limit. Contact INNERGY Support if you would like to discuss setting up a full SQL server for use with your Microvellum software.