SQL Interview: 83 Primary filegroup size

This is a post in the SQL Interview series. These aren’t trick or gotcha questions, they’re just questions designed to scope out a candidate’s knowledge around SQL Server and Azure SQL Database.
Section: Administration Level: Medium
Question:
Why is it advisable to avoid storing user objects in the PRIMARY filegroup, and keeping it small?
Answer:
You want the PRIMARY filegroup as small as possible and well-backed up. If you cannot restore the PRIMARY filegroup, you cannot restore any other filegroups.
2025-10-03