Free Disk Space by Clearing Columns ?

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Free Disk Space by Clearing Columns ?

homebrew01

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Points: 55548
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November 26, 2013 at 10:01 am

#282848

I have a huge archive table in a lightly used archive database. We really don't need all the data in each row, and I was considering updating a lot of columns to NULL. Will that free up space for reuse, either with or without shrinking the database file ? I don't want to actually drop the unneeded columns because I might break applications that populate & use the table, but I would like to reclaim space.
(SQL 2008 R0, std ed.)

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Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 1

You'll definitely need to rebuild the clustered index to release the free space into the data file for reuse by other tables, may need to run DBCC CleanTable as well

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004339 More actions · Answer 2

I also believe that type of thing will only work on variable length columns, as well.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

arnipetursson SSCertifiable Points: 6557 More actions · Answer 3

You might want to consider table/index compression.

Edit: Sorry did not notice it was standard edition. Data compression not available