Does indexes require disk space for storage?
The following index operations require no additional disk space: ALTER INDEX REORGANIZE; however, log space is required. DROP INDEX when you are dropping a nonclustered index. DROP INDEX when you are dropping a clustered index offline without specifying the MOVE TO clause and nonclustered indexes do not exist.
Why is index maintenance necessary How do you do such maintenance?
In general terms, indexes are database objects that provide pointers to the data. If SQL Server can use indexes to read the data from a table, data retrieval will be considerably faster than when scanning the entire table. It’s extremely important to build appropriate indexes for each table.
Are there any index operations that do not require disk space?
Index Operations That Require No Additional Disk Space. The following index operations require no additional disk space: ALTER INDEX REORGANIZE; however, log space is required. DROP INDEX when you are dropping a nonclustered index.
How is index maintenance performed in SQL Server Enterprise?
The Enterprise Edition of SQL Server has an additional option that can be called via the rebuild command and it will allow a rebuild process to be performed online (ONLINE=ON option). This can significantly reduce the blockings when performing SQL Server index maintenance.
When do I need to use disk space for index DDL?
All other index DDL operations require additional temporary disk space to use during the operation, and permanent disk space to store the new index structure or structures. When a new index structure is created, disk space for both the old (source) and new (target) structures is required in their appropriate files and filegroups.
What’s the big deal about Index Maintenance and performance?
The big deal about index maintenance and performance is index fragmentation. You’re most likely familiar with the term fragmentation from the operating system and hard disk. Fragmentation is what plague our indexes and of course hard disks in the OS world (not so much since the solid-state drives come out).