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A mailbox database is a unit of granularity where mailboxes are created and stored. Every mailbox stores email messages, tasks, calendars, and other information pertaining to a specific mailbox owner in pre-configured folders – e.g., Inbox, Deleted Items, Sent Items, etc. – available in his/her mailbox. In addition, a mailbox owner can also create custom folders for storage.

When the size of a folder grows, the size of the corresponding mailbox and the mailbox database also grows. If any mailbox grows beyond control, the Exchange server will no longer be able to send mails from or deliver mails to that mailbox. In business-critical environments, such disruptions to the flow of emails can result in the loss of critical business communication, which in turn can lead to significant loss of revenues and reputation. If this is to be avoided, administrators should not only be able to identify those mailboxes and databases that are growing at a dangerous pace, but should also be able to pick the exact folders in those mailboxes that could be contributing to this abnormal growth. This is where the Exc2013FolStatTest test helps.

This test auto-discovers the folders in each mailbox, and for each folder, reports the count and aggregate size of items in that folder and its sub-folders. This way, the test points administrators to the precise folder that is growing abnormally in size and the mailbox and mailbox database to which that folder belongs.

Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Item_in_fol	Indicates the number of items currently available in this folder. Note that this measure does not include the items in the sub-folders of this folder.	Number	Compare the value of this measure across folders to know which folder consists of the maximum number of items.
Fol_size	Indicates the current size of this folder (excluding its sub-folders).	MB	Compare the value of this measure across folders to know which folder is of the maximum size. If the mailbox/mailbox database that contains this folder exhausts its configured size limit, you can compare the value of this measure across all folders in a particular mailbox/mailbox database (as the case may be) to identify which folder is impacting the mailbox/mailbox database size. Once the folder is identified, you may want to remove obsolete items from the folder to reduce its size. If the folder appears to be growing in size consistently, you may want to fine-tune the mailbox/mailbox database size limit accordingly.
Item_sub_fol	Indicates the total number of items in this folder and its sub-folders (if any).	Number	Compare the value of this measure across folders to know which folder consists of the maximum number of items. You may also want to compare the value of this measure with that of the Item_in_fol measure to know which is more – items added directly to the folder? Or items in the sub-folders of the parent folder?
Sub_fol_size	Indicates the total size of this folder and its sub-folders.	MB	Compare the value of this measure across folders to know which folder is of the maximum size. If the mailbox/mailbox database that contains this folder exhausts its configured size limit, you can compare the value of this measure across all folders in a particular mailbox/mailbox database (as the case may be) to identify which folder is impacting the mailbox/mailbox database size. Once the folder is identified, you may want to compare the value of this measure with that of the Folder size measure to know what is contributing to the huge folder size – items that are directly available under the parent folder? Or the items in the sub-folders? Based on this comparative analysis, you can then proceed to remove obsolete items from the parent folder or one/more of its sub-folders to reduce its size. If the folder appears to be growing in size consistently, you may want to fine-tune the mailbox/mailbox database size limit accordingly.