Deleting large sharepoint site with 120 GB data using gradual delete option

Question

We have large sharepoint site with storage 120GB.

We need to remove this site from the content database to reclaim the space asap.

we know that, using gradual delete command, the data in site could be deleted regularly in stage wise manner.

we want to reclaim the space from the database within one week. how can we control the duration of the deletion process from timer job.

Answer 1

If you want to get it deleted very quickly, I'd suggest not to rely on the timer job. I had a similar situation with a 600 GB size content database. This is the process I followed.

Assumption:

Everything is to be deleted permanently from the site, and not move them to Recycle Bin. This includes deletion of every components of the site, including lists, libraries, document versions, workflow history, etc.

Implementation:

$mySite  = Get-SPSite http://sharepoint.devbox.com/sites/mysitecollection

foreach ($subsite in $mySite.AllWebs)
{
    Write-Host $subsite.url
    # this line below is responsible for deleting the subsites
    Remove-SPWeb $subsite
    Write-Host $subsite.url has been deleted successfully
}

If your subsites are also way too large, you may drill down inside the script a bit more and delete the large lists/library first.

Hope this helps!