WSS_Content contains?

WSS 3.0:Windows2003

I have a content database that keeps growing for the name of simply, "WSS_Content"

This database is aside from all the other content databases that are linked to an web application, but located in the same directory. I count 5 CONTENT databases on this directory, but only 4 web applications (excluding the centraladmin). Trouble is it keeps growing in size and I need to know what it is and why its growing. Is this a default database of some kind? Where and why would it grow?

I recently found, through Central Administration, that one of my sites has a content database name of

"WSS_Content_(random numbers and letters)"

whereas, the other content databases would have a name like

"WSS_Content_(WebApplicationName)"

What gives?

From serverfault Mike

• An easy way to see all your databases (and what web application they belong to) is to go to Central Admin -> Operations -> Perform a Backup.

  This will give you a tree view of your farm with all of the databases listed.

  Mike : There is nothing linked to WSS_Content though..hmmm...

  MattB : @Mike: then you have something wacky going on. (That is the technical term...) I would probably run a SQL Profiler trace to see where the connections to WSS_Content are coming from.

  Mike : WSS_Content was referencing a MOSS Web App (different server), that's where I got confused...
  From MattB

• I believe that SharePoint just puts a string of random numbers and letters after the WSS_Content db if you don't provide a name upon creation. Our SharePoint site was originally set up by a contractor and the default content db has the same random string you are talking about. I was not involved in the setup so I'm not sure what was done but my new web applications have proper names.

  This technet blog covers the topic of sorting them out.

  Edit: After reading through some of the subsequent articles on the link I provided it turns out that the admin content database doesn't give you an option to name it so it would automatically just be given a GUID. This could very well be the database you are seeing.

  Mike : That a good reference, but I just want to know what WSS_Content is, and how can I downsize it without SQL, example being, expiration policy.

  Dynamo : I'm assuming that your WSS_CONTENT database is the one that's created upon installation of SharePoint. That's the most likely one to not have been named. I've found the databases for SharePoint do tend to grow a lot and I haven't found much I can do to limit it. My one suggestion would be to ensure that you're taking log backups. If you're not the log files will grow to be very large. Regular log backups won't make your database any smaller but it will clear out the unused space in your log so it doesn't grow any more than it needs to.
  From Dynamo