Set Auto Expand Data Files

Datafile Software

Set Auto Expand Data Files

Datafile reserves a fixed space for database files and you need to expand that space should the file become full. This option allows you to set internal system parameters so that it automatically attempts to enlarge a file that is becoming full. The file is expanded when a user opens the file provided no-one else is already using that file, typically it would occur at the start of the day when the first user accesses an application.

In the payroll application only the transactions file can be set for auto-expansion, other files must be expanded manually via the option below. The P11 transaction file will auto-expand using the number of employee records as the guide for expanding this.

Expand By

Enter the number of records by which you wish the system to expand the file when triggered. Strike a balance between too small a number, meaning that it would happen to frequently, and too large a number which would mean it would take a long time to expand the file and take up unnecessary disk space.

When Less

This represents the quantity of free records which when the database is below will trigger the automatic expansion when a user has exclusive access to the file.

Minimum Spare

This is an important parameter for files where batches of records are added – it represents the minimum quantity that must be free at all times. It would normally be less than the ‘When Less’ setting and if this setting reached it implies that no user has had exclusive access to the file since the ‘When Less’ quantity was reached. You should set the minimum to be the largest number that can be added through an automatic update.