Data purge directly in the tool?

[evandromalmsteen]

Where can I force an instant data purge directly in the tool? I couldn’t find that option. I had to reinstall it because it filled up the host’s C: drive with over 70 GB of database files very quickly, in just 5 days.

[erikdarlingdata]

Hi — there isn't a UI button for an instant purge yet, but the cleanup procedure is always available and you can run it on demand from SSMS:

USE PerformanceMonitor;
EXECUTE config.data_retention @debug = 1;

That respects the per-collector retention_days values in config.collection_schedule. If you want to purge more aggressively right now, lower those values first (or pass a smaller fallback, e.g. EXECUTE config.data_retention @retention_days = 7) and then re-run the proc. It deletes in batches so it won't block the server.

Two things to know about disk usage:

1. DELETE frees space inside the database file but doesn't shrink the file itself. After a big purge you'll need DBCC SHRINKFILE (or SHRINKDATABASE) if you need to give space back to the OS.
2. 70 GB in 5 days is unusually heavy — that almost always points to one or two collectors firing too often or holding too much history (query snapshots, perfmon, and the XE staging tables are the usual suspects). Check config.collection_schedule and lower frequency_minutes / retention_days for the noisy ones, or disable any you don't actually use.

A native "purge now" action in the Dashboard is a fair feature request — happy to track it as one if you'd like.

[evandromalmsteen]

Understood. Since there is currently no UI button for immediate cleanup, running config.data_retention manually from SSMS covers the requirement.

I will review the values in config.collection_schedule, especially frequency_minutes and retention_days, to identify high-volume collectors such as query snapshots, PerfMon, and XE staging tables. If needed, I can temporarily lower the retention period, for example by using @retention_days = 7, and run the cleanup on demand.

I also understand that DELETE frees space inside the database file but does not return disk space to the operating system. After the cleanup, DBCC SHRINKFILE should be evaluated carefully if reclaiming physical disk space is required.

Adding a native “clean now” option to the Control Panel makes sense and can be treated as a future improvement.

[erikdarlingdata]

Glad that works. If you'd like to see the "purge now" action land, would you mind opening a feature request issue with the enhancement label? A short description of what you'd want it to do (one-click purge, configurable retention override, etc.) is enough — that way it gets tracked properly and won't get lost in the discussion thread.