FIX: The sys.syscommittab system table is not cleaned up after the retention period for change tracking in SQL Server 2008

Consider the following scenario:

• You enable the Change Tracking and Auto Cleanup properties for a database in Microsoft SQL Server 2008.
  
  Note The Auto Cleanup property automatically cleans up the data for change tracking.
• You set the Retention Period and Retention Period Units properties.

In this scenario, the sys.syscommittab system table for change tracking is not cleaned up after the specified retention period.

Notes

• To list the latest committed transactions from change tracking, run the following query. If a transaction is older than the retention period, this issue has occurred.

  Use <Database Name>
  select top 10 * from sys.dm_tran_commit_table order by commit_time

• To return the disk space that is used for the sys.syscommittab system table, connect to the server by using the dedicated administrator connection (DAC), and then run the following query:

  sp_spaceused 'sys.syscommittab'

SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1

The fix for this issue was first released in Cumulative Update 11 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1.

For more information about this cumulative update package, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:Note Because the builds are cumulative, each new fix release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server 2008 fix release. Microsoft recommends that you consider applying the most recent fix release that contains this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 hotfixes are created for specific SQL Server service packs. You must apply a SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 hotfix to an installation of SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1. By default, any hotfix that is provided in a SQL Server service pack is included in the next SQL Server service pack.

SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 2

The fix for this issue was first released in Cumulative Update 2 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 2. For more information about this cumulative update package, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Note Because the builds are cumulative, each new fix release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server 2008 fix release. Microsoft recommends that you consider applying the most recent fix release that contains this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 hotfixes are created for specific SQL Server service packs. You must apply a SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 2 hotfix to an installation of SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 2. By default, any hotfix that is provided in a SQL Server service pack is included in the next SQL Server service pack.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about change tracking, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) websites:

• How to configure and manage change tracking (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb964713(v=SQL.100).aspx)
• General information about the database properties for change tracking (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb895205(v=SQL.100).aspx)
• General information about the sys.syscommittab system table (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645959(v=SQL.100).aspx)

For more information about the Incremental Servicing Model for SQL Server, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about the naming schema for SQL Server updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: