Fixing SIMATIC BATCH 'Not Enough Database Space' Restore Error

This reference covers the SIMATIC BATCH restore error "Not enough space on the database drive available" that appears in the Batch Control Center (Batch CC) when applying a batch backup. It documents the root cause, the database size limits documented for BATCH V8.0 SP1 and earlier releases, the sbdata folder structure, and the verification procedure used to confirm the restore completes cleanly. The error originates from the underlying Microsoft SQL Server restore operation and surfaces in the BATCH layer; administrators should treat both layers when sizing the target drive.

1. Problem Description

When a user invokes Restore from the Batch Control Center, the application evaluates the available free space on the drive that hosts the SIMATIC BATCH database before allowing the operation to proceed. If the projected size of the restored database exceeds the available capacity on the target volume, the dialog aborts with:

Not enough space on the database drive available.

The dialog is presented by the BATCH client (Batch CC), but the underlying mechanism that prevents the restore from being written is performed by Microsoft SQL Server. The SQL Server backup/restore stack returns its own diagnostics when the destination cannot accommodate the new database files; for insufficient disk conditions, the relevant SQL Server error is MSSQLSERVER_3013 from the Database Engine error catalog.

Affected Components

• SIMATIC BATCH Server (the host running the BATCH service and the SQL Server instance)
• Batch Control Center (Batch CC) client
• The Windows share BATCH created by the BATCH installer
• The sbdata data directory that holds the live batch database files

2. Root Cause Analysis

The BATCH restore path evaluates the size of the incoming backup and the free space on the destination volume. The dialog aborts when one of the following is true:

1. Free space is exhausted. The drive hosting sbdata has less free capacity than the backup requires once expanded.
2. SQL Server cannot write the database files. Even when BATCH approves the operation, SQL Server can fail at the storage layer with MSSQLSERVER_3013 if the destination volume runs out of space during the physical write.
3. Database has grown beyond the documented best-practice envelope. On SIMATIC BATCH V8.0 SP1, the documented recommendation is that the running batch database should not exceed 4 GB. On earlier releases, the recommended ceiling is 2 GB. A database that has exceeded these limits typically indicates that long-retention batch data has not been archived, and the resulting file footprint is large enough to fail restore on a moderately sized system drive.

3. Locating the BATCH Database

Before sizing the restore, locate the sbdata directory on the BATCH server. Two methods are used in the field.

3.1 Locate the BATCH share

Open an elevated command prompt on the BATCH server and run:

net share

Locate the share named BATCH in the output. The path printed next to it is the root of the BATCH installation. The sbdata directory is created under this root and contains the live batch database.

3.2 Verify the database folder

Inside sbdata, the database appears as a subfolder named with the pattern SB6_<xxx> (for example, SB6_xyz). The size of this subfolder is the current, on-disk footprint of the running batch database. This size is the figure to compare against the free space on the volume when planning a restore to the same machine.

4. Pre-Restore Size Assessment

Use the following procedure to capture the source-side database footprint before requesting a restore from the customer.

1. On the customer's BATCH server, open Computer Management → System Tools → Shared Folders → Shares, or run net share at a command prompt. Note the path of the BATCH share.
2. Open the path in Windows Explorer and locate the sbdata folder.
3. Right-click the SB6_<xxx> subfolder and select Properties. Record the Size value.
4. Compare this value against the free space on the drive where you intend to restore. The restore requires at least the SB6_<xxx> size plus the working space SQL Server needs to rebuild the database files (typically 10–20% headroom on top of the database size).

Typical field-reported values for a healthy BATCH system:

5. Step-by-Step Resolution

Use this procedure when the Batch CC reports the database-space dialog during a restore.

5.1 Confirm the drive is the constraint

1. On the BATCH server, open This PC and right-click the volume hosting sbdata.
2. Select Properties and read the free-space value.
3. If free space is below the projected size of the restored database plus headroom, the drive is the binding constraint.

5.2 Free space on the existing volume

1. Move non-BATCH data (Windows installer cache, logs, temporary files) off the volume.
2. Empty the Recycle Bin on the volume.
3. Run Disk Cleanup on the volume and remove temporary files.
4. If the volume is the system drive, consider relocating the page file or the SQL Server tempdb to a separate volume to reclaim capacity for the BATCH database.

5.3 Re-target the database to a larger volume

1. Stop the BATCH server service.
2. Move the sbdata folder (and the SB6_<xxx> subfolder) to a volume with sufficient free space.
3. Update the BATCH registry entries so the service resolves the new path, or recreate the BATCH share pointing to the new location.
4. Restart the BATCH service and verify the Batch CC connects.
5. Re-attempt the restore from Batch CC.

5.4 Archive long-retention batch data

1. From Batch CC, identify batches older than the active operating window.
2. Archive those batches according to the recipe archive procedure documented in the SIMATIC BATCH manual, chapter 11 Best Practice.
3. Compact the database (the compaction procedure is described in the same chapter).
4. Re-measure the SB6_<xxx> folder size and confirm it is below the documented 4 GB (V8.0 SP1) or 2 GB (earlier) envelope.

6. Online Data vs Offline Data in the Backup

SIMATIC BATCH distinguishes between online and offline data inside the database:

Because a batch backup contains only offline objects, the size of the backup file is normally a fraction of the running database. If the backup is unexpectedly large (for example, approaching the size of the live SB6_<xxx> folder), check whether long-retention batch data has been promoted into the master data set on the source system.

7. SQL Server Layer: MSSQLSERVER_3013

If the restore aborts at the SQL Server layer rather than at the BATCH dialog, look for SQL Server error 3013 in the SQL Server error log. Per the Microsoft Learn entry for MSSQLSERVER_3013, the error indicates that RESTORE detected an error; for insufficient disk conditions, ensure that the drive where the database files are being written has enough free space available, or redirect the restore to a volume with adequate capacity.

The BATCH dialog and the SQL Server error are two different layers of the same physical problem. The BATCH layer prevents the operation from starting when its pre-check fails; the SQL Server layer reports the failure when the physical write runs out of space during the operation.

8. Warnings and Best Practice from the BATCH Manual

The SIMATIC BATCH manual documents two relevant sections that operators routinely overlook when troubleshooting this error:

• Chapter 11 — Best Practice. Documents the recommended database size envelope (4 GB for V8.0 SP1, 2 GB for earlier releases), the compaction procedure, and the routine for archiving closed batches.
• Chapter 13.1.2.3 — Warnings. Lists operational warnings emitted by Batch CC, including the disk-space warning that appears during restore. The warning is informational but aborts the restore if not addressed.

Reference these sections in the official SIMATIC BATCH manual delivered with the installed version; the chapter numbering is consistent across the V8.x releases.

9. Verification Procedure

After applying one of the resolution paths above, verify that the restore succeeds:

1. Confirm the free space on the volume hosting sbdata is greater than the projected restored size plus 20% headroom.
2. Open Batch CC on the client and connect to the BATCH server.
3. Select Restore from the Batch menu and point at the backup file.
4. Confirm the restore dialog completes without the "Not enough space on the database drive available" message.
5. Open the sbdata\SB6_<xxx> folder and verify the size matches the expected restored footprint.
6. Open Batch CC and confirm that the master data, recipes, materials, and formulas are visible.
7. Inspect the SQL Server error log for the time of the restore and confirm no MSSQLSERVER_3013 entries were logged.
8. Run a test batch to confirm Batch CC can write online data into the restored database.

10. Troubleshooting Matrix

11. Preventive Recommendations

1. Provision at least twice the documented maximum database size (8 GB on V8.0 SP1, 4 GB on earlier releases) on the volume that hosts sbdata.
2. Schedule routine archiving of closed batches per chapter 11 of the SIMATIC BATCH manual.
3. Compact the database on a defined cadence (monthly or quarterly) to keep SB6_<xxx> within the documented envelope.
4. Monitor free space on the sbdata volume with a system-management agent and alert when free space drops below 20% of the volume size.
5. Keep SQL Server tempdb on a separate volume so SQL Server housekeeping does not consume the headroom reserved for BATCH restore operations.
6. Document the customer-side database size in the system handover so subsequent restores can be planned against a known baseline.