Transaction log full? But DB is SIMPLE recovery model

[web4fun]

SQL 2000:

I'm encountering a message reporting that the "log file for database 'AAAA' is full. Backup the transaction log for the database to free up some space."

What confuses me is that the database 'AAAA' is set to a 'Simple' recovery model which I understood meant that no transaction logs are backed up and the logs are cleared at checkpoints; i.e. a Full Backup which runs every night and ran last night successfully. Plus the drive itself has plenty of space and the log file is only 6MB and is set for autogrowth.

Can someone please provide some insight?

 

[SQLBill]

It's hard to diagnose from the information you are giving, but...

1. is there a large delete, reindexing or other transaction heavy action being done? If so, it will fill up the log until it commits (finishes).

2. what size do you have the autogrow set at? Sometimes the log full doesn't really mean it is full. If you set the log for too small of a size, it can report full when the real issue is that it just couldn't grow fast enough for whatever transaction was occurring. Or, if you have it set for too large of a percentage (I always use MB) it can grow too fast and then not have enough room to expand further. For example, there is 100 MB left, but the default is 10% growth and that means it needs to grow 1000 MB. It will report full when it's really not so.

That should give you a couple things to look into and see if one of them is the root issue.

-SQLBill

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[web4fun]

Thanks SQLBill....the log file was set to autogrow at 10% at a size of 4MB and it appears that there was a heavy transaction occurring at the time. Thanks again.