If you are a StudioPlus Spectra user, did you know there’s a limit to how much data you can store in your Spectra Database? Once your database limit is reached, your software will no longer be able to accept new data! Not good!

Most StudioPlus Spectra clients use a Microsoft Access Database to store their data, while other clients use a Microsoft SQL Database. If you’re not sure which database you’re using, click Help>About. In the lower left corner, if you see “Database:” followed by a path to a folder, then you are using an MS Access Database. Clicking on the link will take you to the directory where your database is stored.

For clients using an MS Access Database, you can store up to 2 GB of data in each MDB file. Click on the data path link in the Help>About and look at the file size of the SamDB.mdb and the SPImages.mdb. If either of these two files are over 1.5 GB, then you should be concerned.

The most common cause for the SamDB.mdb file growing too large is because email attachments are being stored inside the MDB. We’d recommend that all clients no longer store attachments inside their database, but instead, store them either in a shared folder on your network or in your Stratus Drive. Follow the instructions found here to move your attachments out of the Spectra Database and also to change the default storage location from this point forward.

Clients using the Microsoft SQL Database have a 10 GB storage limit, but they should also consider moving their attachments out of the database to prevent future issues.

This post only applies to Spectra users. Clients using myStratus are already storing their attachments in their Stratus Drive, and do not need to be concerned about database size limits.

If you need further information, give us a call. We’re here to help.