Is there any way of disabling logging while an ALTER TABLE command is executed? We need to increase the size of a Last_User field from char(20) to varchar(50) on all the tables in the database (thanks to the network guys changing the logins to the network). Obviously, if we try a straight ALTER TABLE we blow the log file rather quickly. I don't think we have the option of increasing the log file space to fit, as I assume that would require about a much space as the db itself (currently ~20GB).

All suggestions welcomed,

Cheers,

Chris



There are two secrets to success in this world:
1. Never tell everything you know

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There are two secrets to success in this world:
1. Never tell everything you know

I don't think you can totally turn off logging, but you can temporarily set the recovery model to simple via:
which will minimize the amount of log space used.

Make sure you have a full backup before you make your changes, as the only recovery possible using the SIMPLE model is to restore from the last backup.

Also make sure to set it back to whatever model your database is currently using.

Jeff Mason
Custom Apps, Inc.
www.custom-apps.com