Determining Database Storage Requirements

Wondering how much space you should allocate for your database? There are two commonly used techniques. Both start by determining the size of a typical row (based upon the amount of space consumed by each data type in the row), the number of rows created in an average month and the period of time records are maintained. The first method simply multiplies these numbers together to reach a space estimate. The second uses a slightly more complex calculation that assumes the number of records added each month changes over time.

Denny Cherry provides a detailed look at both approaches over on SearchSQLServer.com.