How do you UN-COMPRESS SQL Server compressed tables and indexes?

  • How do you UN-COMPRESS SQL Server compressed tables and indexes?   (we have approx 28 TB compressed down to 7 TB -- on 1 large SQL Server 2014 instance w/ a backend EMC VNX 5300 housing the data)

    Over the last 3 years, we've been compressing LARGE tables and indexes on a SQL Server 2014 Enterprise instance.

    Now, we've been advised by our storage team that they are installing a new PURE STORAGE ARRAY which recommends SQL Server data and indexes be uncompressed --- as PURE apparently does a much better job at compressing the stored data.

    Thoughts on the most efficient way to UN-COMPRESS our data?

     

    BT
  • The answer  is simple, just alter the table and set compression = NONE

    😎

     

    Quick question, have you seen any evidence supporting this claim? "Better at the job" does not necessarily mean better performance 😉

     

  • thanks!  that worked perfectly.   My test results:

    To decompress/uncompress a table, I simply changed the DATA_COMPRESSION attribute from PAGE back to NONE:

    -- to Compress:

    --

    USE [my_dbname]

    ALTER TABLE [dbo].[my_tablename] REBUILD PARTITION = ALL WITH (DATA_COMPRESSION = PAGE)

    GO

    -- to Un-Compress:

    --

    USE [my_dbname]

    ALTER TABLE [dbo].[my_tablename] REBUILD PARTITION = ALL WITH (DATA_COMPRESSION = NONE)

    GO

    BT
  • Good stuff and thanks for the feedback!

    😎

    Has the storage team provided any evidence on PURE STORAGE ARRAY  efficiency and edge over the native SQL Server data compression? Would be very interested in seeing that!

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