How do I decrease the size of my sql server log file?

Question

So I have been neglecting to do any backups of my fogbugz database, and now the fogbugz ldf file is over 2 and half gigs. Thats been built up over the six months we've been using fogbugz.

I backed up the database, then I backed up, and truncated the transaction log, yet the transaction log is still 2 and a half gigs. I did a shrink on the log file and its still 2 and a half gigs. Nothing I do seems to shrink the file in size.

Is there anyway to fix the problem? Or is the only way back at this point to detach the database, delete the log file and then reattach with a new one?

Answer 1

• Perform a full backup of your database. Don't skip this. Really.
• Change the backup method of your database to "Simple"
• Open a query window and enter "checkpoint" and execute
• Perform another backup of the database
• Change the backup method of your database back to "Full" (or whatever it was, if it wasn't already Simple)
• Perform a final full backup of the database.
• Run below queries one by one
  1. USE Database_Name
  2. select name,recovery_model_desc from sys.databases
  3. ALTER DATABASE Database_Name SET RECOVERY simple
  4. DBCC SHRINKFILE (Database_Name_log , 1)