Index Size is growing very large

  • I see my databases index size is growing too large on daily basis, I increased the data size in last 2 days, help is appreciated,

  • Can you be more specific about growing too large? If the volume of data included in the index is growing then the index will grow and as long as the index is being used then you probably don't want to drop the index.

    Are you doing regular index maintenance?

    My suggestion is monitor the growth and then size your database appropriately to have enough space for the anticipated growth for the next 6-12 months and make sure you have plans in place to have enough disk capacity. If adding disk space isn't possible then you need to determine a purging or archiving strategy.

  • Could you please let me know how the index is related to the table, I mean if the table is used quite often, How the index size works,

  • bubby (7/11/2012)


    Could you please let me know how the index is related to the table, I mean if the table is used quite often, How the index size works,

    to help you understand further please consult the Stairway to indexes articles at this[/url] link

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    "Ya can't make an omelette without breaking just a few eggs" 😉

  • An index's size is dependent upon the size of the columns and the number of rows in an index. For instance a one column index of data type int (4 bytes) on a table with 1000 rows would be approximately 4000 bytes. That is an overly simplified example as there is more that goes into it, but gives you a general idea. Here are a couple of links about how to determine the size of indexes:

    Non-clustered - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190620(v=sql.105).aspx

    Clustered - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178085(v=sql.105).aspx

    AS Perry has mentioned reading the Stairway to Indexes articles will get you much more information.

  • Thanks a Lot

  • Jack Corbett (7/11/2012)


    An index's size is dependent upon the size of the columns and the number of rows in an index. For instance a one column index of data type int (4 bytes) on a table with 1000 rows would be approximately 4000 bytes. That is an overly simplified example as there is more that goes into it, but gives you a general idea. Here are a couple of links about how to determine the size of indexes:

    Non-clustered - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190620(v=sql.105).aspx

    Clustered - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178085(v=sql.105).aspx

    AS Perry has mentioned reading the Stairway to Indexes articles will get you much more information.

    also bear in mind with non clustered indexes that while the key columns are required to be under 900 bytes this does not stop you adding included columns which could make the index size huge.

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    "Ya can't make an omelette without breaking just a few eggs" 😉

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