sys.database_files (Transact-SQL)
Contains a row per file of a database as stored in the database itself. This is a per-database view.
Column name
Data type
Description
file_id
int
ID of the file within database.
file_guid
uniqueidentifier
GUID for the file.
NULL = Database was upgraded from an earlier version of Microsoft SQL Server.
type
tinyint
File type:
0 = Rows
1 = Log
2 = Reserved for future use.
3 = Reserved for future use.
4 = Full-text
type_desc
nvarchar(60)
Description of the file type:
ROWS
LOG
FULLTEXT
data_space_id
int
ID of the data space to which this file belongs. Data space is a filegroup.
0 = Log file.
name
sysname
Logical name of the file in the database.
physical_name
nvarchar(260)
Operating-system file name.
state
tinyint
File state:
0 = ONLINE
1 = RESTORING
2 = RECOVERING
3 = RECOVERY_PENDING
4 = SUSPECT
5 = Reserved for future use.
6 = OFFLINE
7 = DEFUNCT
state_desc
nvarchar(60)
Description of the file state:
ONLINE
RESTORING
RECOVERING
RECOVERY_PENDING
SUSPECT
OFFLINE
DEFUNCT
For more information, see File States.
size
int
Current size of the file, in 8-KB pages.
0 = Not applicable
For a database snapshot, size reflects the maximum space that the snapshot can ever use for the file.
max_size
int
Maximum file size, in 8-KB pages:
0 = No growth is allowed.
-1 = File will grow until the disk is full.
268435456 = Log file will grow to a maximum size of 2 TB.
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Note:
Databases that are upgraded with an unlimited log file size will report -1 for the maximum size of the log file.
growth
int
0 = File is fixed size and will not grow.
>0 = File will grow automatically.
If is_percent_growth = 0, growth increment is in units of 8-KB pages, rounded to the nearest 64 KB.
If is_percent_growth = 1, growth increment is expressed as a whole number percentage.
is_media_read_only
bit
1 = File is on read-only media.
0 = File is on read-write media.
is_read_only
bit
1 = File is marked read-only.
0 = File is marked read/write.
is_sparse
bit
1 = File is a sparse file.
0 = File is not a sparse file.
For more information, see Understanding Sparse File Sizes in Database Snapshots.
is_percent_growth
bit
1 = Growth of the file is a percentage.
0 = Absolute growth size in pages.
is_name_reserved
bit
1 = Dropped file name (name or physical_name) is reusable only after the next log backup. When files are dropped from a database, the logical names stay in a reserved state until the next log backup. This column is relevant only under the full recovery model and the bulk-logged recovery model.
create_lsn
numeric(25,0)
Log sequence number (LSN) at which the file was created.
drop_lsn
numeric(25,0)
LSN at which the file was dropped.
0 = The file name is unavailable for reuse.
read_only_lsn
numeric(25,0)
LSN at which the filegroup that contains the file changed from read/write to read-only (most recent change).
read_write_lsn
numeric(25,0)
LSN at which the filegroup that contains the file changed from read-only to read/write (most recent change).
differential_base_lsn
numeric(25,0)
Base for differential backups. Data extents changed after this LSN will be included in a differential backup.
differential_base_guid
uniqueidentifier
Unique identifier of the base backup on which a differential backup will be based.
differential_base_time
datetime
Time corresponding to differential_base_lsn.
redo_start_lsn
numeric(25,0)
LSN at which the next roll forward must start.
Is NULL unless state = RESTORING or state = RECOVERY_PENDING.
redo_start_fork_guid
uniqueidentifier
Unique identifier of the recovery fork. The first_fork_guid of the next log backup restored must match this value. This represents the current state of the file.
redo_target_lsn
numeric(25,0)
LSN at which the online roll forward on this file can stop.
Is NULL unless state = RESTORING or state = RECOVERY_PENDING.
redo_target_fork_guid
uniqueidentifier
The recovery fork on which the file can be recovered. Paired with redo_target_lsn.
backup_lsn
numeric(25,0)
The LSN of the most recent data or differential backup of the file.
Note
When you drop or rebuild large indexes, or drop or truncate large tables, the Database Engine defers the actual page deallocations, and their associated locks, until after the transaction commits. Deferred drop operations do not release allocated space immediately. Therefore, the values returned by sys.database_files immediately after dropping or truncating a large object may not reflect the actual disk space available. For more information about deferred allocations, see Dropping and Rebuilding Large Objects.
See Also
Reference
Databases and Files Catalog Views (Transact-SQL)
sys.databases (Transact-SQL)
sys.master_files (Transact-SQL)
sys.data_spaces (Transact-SQL)
Other Resources
File States
Understanding Files and Filegroups