SQL Server Agent Job History Retention [Best Practices]

What is the SQL Server Agent job history retention?

It will determine the amount of job history records that SQL Server had before deleting.

Agent job history set up to purge all history records once the history log reaches a certain number of rows by default.

Logs are helpful for troubleshooting. Having insufficient records makes it more difficult to identify problems.

How to identify the issue and how to fix it?

Connect to the SQL instance using SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio).
Right-click on the SQL Server Agent and open the Properties.

We recommend changing the maximum job history log size (in rows) to 50,000 and the maximum job history rows per job to 1,000.

Note: These numbers can vary according to your business needs.

More information

Microsoft – Set Up the J o b History Log

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