How to determine the datetime of the last auto file growth of a data file in sql server 2008, if I dont have a trace file at the time of autogrowth. One of the online posts mentioned that the "Modified Date" on the windows explorer is the last time the data file auto grew. Can someone confirm this or provide another way to identify the last datetime a data file auto grew.
FWIW, The sql server has not been restarted after the auto growth.
The modified date is worthless to look at. The only way is to look at the default trace to see what's in there. The easiest way to do this is to view the Disk Space report by right clicking on the database in SQL Server Management Studio, selecting Reports then Disk Space. At the bottom it will tell you any auto growth events which have happened which are captured within the default trace.
How much data is kept in the default trace depends on how busy your SQL Server is.
If you want to reliably capture this information moving forward you'll need to setup a server trace or an extended events session to capture this information.
