How Big Is Your DataBase?

[AnAccount]

It tells you on the forumotion ACP

Free hosts usually remove the database size from the ACP.

So while my current forum (which I am concentrating the most on) will tell me how much MB or GB we're using, a free host like Forumotion won't tell me anything, right? And does this go for all free hosts, whether you're still using the forum or not. Because I officially stopped Marie 1988 2 years ago, just haven't gotten around to deleting the database yet, I'm spending all my time on my current forum these days, I could care less about our Forumotion site.

 

[CyberFreak]

In my experience, hosts tend to hide the database size and if they do hide it/not show it then it affects all the forums they host *no matter if your forum is active or not)

 

[Mik.]

Well whenever I create a back up I know what the size is. My currently is about 2Mb (phpBB).

 

[Branden]

A back up is compressed.

 

[Mik.]

You can choose to compress it or not. I choose not to.

 

[AnAccount]

In my experience, hosts tend to hide the database size and if they do hide it/not show it then it affects all the forums they host *no matter if your forum is active or not)

You know, with an exception of a couple free hosts I've been on, I think I have seen this before on other forum hosts as well. Paid/advanced hosting makes this easy to find because it's right there in the ACP under the board start date as well as the other stuff in there. I never worry about how much space we're using anyway, so even if we were to still be with Forumotion or something similar, where they hide these kind of stats, then it really wouldn't matter either way, because all I look at is our post/member count for promotion reasons and who all has a birthday coming up. As long as we never exceed our limit to the point of being suspended and having to order a larger plan, then I'm okay with it. Although it is interesting to see how much MB or GB you've used overall, just for curiosity sake

.

You can choose to compress it or not. I choose not to.

Is it safer to compress it or does it matter either way?

 

[Mik.]

I'm not sure. It doesn't matter. When you upload a back up it still decompresses itself.

 

[AnAccount]

I'm not sure. It doesn't matter. When you upload a back up it still decompresses itself.

So basically it doesn't matter either way, then?

 

[The Elite]

Okay, I'm on my old forum on Forumotion, which hasn't been active in 2 years. Since it's been inactive for so long, I'm pretty positive it's taking up a lot of MB by now, but how do I find this out on a Forumotion ACP?

How does inactivity take up database size? My forum is 200MB unzipped with 185k posts.

 

[Branden]

You can choose to compress it or not. I choose not to.

Oh alrighty then.

 

[CyberFreak]

I'm not sure. It doesn't matter. When you upload a back up it still decompresses itself.

So basically it doesn't matter either way, then?

By downloading a compressed backup, the file is smaller so less data needs to be downloaded when you download a compressed backup compared to an uncompressed backup. Same goes for if you ever need to upload the backup to the server.

 

[jank858]

Our database is a little over 3gb.

 

[AnAccount]

I'm not sure. It doesn't matter. When you upload a back up it still decompresses itself.

So basically it doesn't matter either way, then?

By downloading a compressed backup, the file is smaller so less data needs to be downloaded when you download a compressed backup compared to an uncompressed backup. Same goes for if you ever need to upload the backup to the server.

Okay, that makes a bit more sense. Thanks, Fowler!

 

[Nebulous]

Wober's is 280 MB's at the moment.
(not compressed)

Different methods of backing up bring different numbers. I find the most reliable method is by downloading the (un-compressed) .sql file from the forum ACP. Different methods of backing up my my-sql files from the cPanel work, but sometimes they dont always work during a restoral. I run into issues, some fixable.
The one downloaded from the forum ACP seem to work every time and very smoothly.