Reducing the historical data of tasks, events and statistics records by using a script for your type of database.

Important: You can download the scripts for supported database types in the Attachments section on the right panel of this article. You may use WinSCP or similar tools to transfer file in case of vCenter Server Appliance. (To enable WinSCP file transfer refer: Error when uploading files to vCenter Server Appliance using WinSCP )

These scripts work for vCenter 5.x, 6.x, 7.x and 8.x databases.

Process to reduce the historical data:

To reduce the data, perform these steps:

1. Stop the vCenter Server service
2. Back up the vCenter Server database
3. Run the script for your database

Stop the vCenter Server service

1. If you installed vCenter Server on a Windows machine:

i.  Stopping, starting, or restarting VMware vCenter Server services (1003895)
ii. Stopping, starting, or restarting VMware vCenter Server 6.0 services (2109881)

2. If you deployed the vCenter Server Appliance:

i.  Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter Server Appliance services (2054085)
ii. Stopping, starting, or restarting VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 services (2109887)

Back up the vCenter Server database

a. For MS SQL and Oracle databases, see your database vendor's documentation.
b. For information about backing up the embedded vPostgres database, see Back up and restore the embedded PostgreSQL database (2091961)
 

Understanding the scripts’ parameters

The scripts contain three main parameters:

•    TaskMaxAgeInDays

o    Deletes tasks older than the specified number of days

•    EventMaxAgeInDays

o    Deletes events older than the specified number of days

•    StatMaxAgeInDays

o    Deletes statistics older than the specified number of days

The possible values for all the parameters are:

•    -1 = Does not delete data. Ex. TaskMaxAgeInDays = -1, means that no task records will be deleted.
•    0 = Deletes all data. Ex. TaskMaxAgeInDays = 0, deletes all task records.
•    >1 = Deletes data older than the number you entered. Ex. TaskMaxAgeInDays = 10, leaves the task records gathered within the last 10 days and deletes all the records gathered before that.

Run the script for your database

• vPostgres for Windows
• vPostgres for vCenter Appliance
• For Microsoft SQL Server
• For Oracle

vPostgres for Windows

a. Log in to the machine in which vCenter Server is running.
b. Download the  2110031_Postgres_task_event_stat script attached to this KB article.
Note: For vCenter 6.5 and later download 2110031_Postgres_task_event_stat_new.sql
c. Run the script by using psql and when prompted provide the vCenter Server user password.

C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\vPostgres\bin\psql -U <vCenter Server database user> -v TaskMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v EventMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v StatMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -d database-name <DATABASE> -t -q -f download-path\2110031_PostgreSQL_task_event_stat.sql

For 6.5 and later:

C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\vPostgres\bin\psql -U <vCenter Server database user> -v TaskMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v EventMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v StatMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -d database-name <DATABASE></DATABASE>-t -q -f download-path\2110031_PostgreSQL_task_event_stat_new.sql


Note: To find the database password locate the vcdb.properties file in the %VMWARE_CFG_DIR%\vmware-vpx\ folder and open the file using a text editor. In the vcdb.properties file, locate the password of the vc database user and record it.

vPostgres for vCenter Appliance

a.    Run this command to execute the script:

/opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/psql -U postgres -v TaskMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v EventMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v StatMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -d VCDB -t -q -f <download-path>/2110031_Postgres_task_event_stat.sql

For 6.5 and 6.7:

/opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/psql -U postgres -v TaskMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v EventMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v StatMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -d VCDB -t -q -f <download-path>/2110031_Postgres_task_event_stat_new.sql 

For 7.0 and later:

/opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/psql -U postgres -v TaskMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v EventMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v StatMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -d VCDB -t -q -f <download-path>/2110031_Postgres_task_event_stat_reset_event_sequence.sql
Note: After execution of the script event id sequence will be reset. Event ids for new events will start
from 1.

Microsoft SQL Server

a.    Log in to the Microsoft SQL Server machine as an administrator.
b.    Download and save the 2110031_MS_SQL_task_event_stat script attached to this Knowledge Base article.
c.    Open the command prompt and run the script:

sqlcmd -S <IP address or FQDN of the database machine>\<instance_name> -U <vCenter Server database user> -P <password> -d <database name> -v TaskMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v EventMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -v StatMaxAgeInDays=<days to keep> -i <download-path>\2110031_MS_SQL_task_event_stat.sql

Oracle

a.    Log in to the Oracle machine
b.    Download and save the 2110031_Oracle_task_event_stat script attached to this Knowledge Base article.
c.    Log in to sqlplus with the vCenter Server database username and password:

sqlplus <vCenter Server database user>/<password>

d.    Run the script:

@ <PATH></PATH>/2110031_Oracle_task_event_stat <days to keep tasks> <days to keep events> <days to keep stats>

Note: The order of the task, event and stat days is critical for the correct script execution.

• Virtual machines on an ESXi host appear orphaned in VMware vCenter Server 5.1 and 5.5
• Resolution: vCenter Server Tasks and Events Retention Period Changed

• 简体中文: 在 vSphere 5.x 和 6.x 中选择性删除任务、事件和历史性能数据 (2115749)
• Português: Exclusão seletiva de tarefas, eventos e dados históricos de desempenho no vSphere 5.x e 6.x (2130972)
• Español: Eliminación selectiva de tareas, eventos y datos de desempeño histórico en vSphere 5.x y 6.x (2131226)