Symptom

SQL Server memory usage grows until it consumes all of the RAM on the system, affecting the performance of other processes.

Environment

Any SQL Server host machine.

Fix/Answer

By default, SQL Server is configured for maximum performance, allowing it to use a maximum of roughly 2,000 terabytes of RAM. Using SQL Management Studio to lower the maximum memory SQL Server is allowed to use should fix this.

To do this:

1. Open SSMS and connect to the SQL instance that houses the BSD.

2. Right-click the BSD instance and choose "Properties".

3. In Server Properties, select the "Memory" tab, and set the desired Max Ram for SQL to use.

Typically, a general rule of thumb is to set the total Maximum RAM for SQL Server no higher than the total system RAM minus 4GB for Windows. Each system and circumstance is different, so less than this amount may be desirable depending on the situation.

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