October 10, 2019 at 11:26 pm
Here is a test question I saw on a website.
"A clustered index sorts and stores the data columns of a table or view in order, based on the clustered index key."
The website says this is false.
I thought this would have been true. The values within the clustered index key would be sorted right?
October 11, 2019 at 8:44 am
From the Microsoft BOL:
Clustered indexes sort and store the data rows in the table or view based on their key values. These are the columns included in the index definition. There can be only one clustered index per table, because the data rows themselves can be stored in only one order.
The only time the data rows in a table are stored in sorted order is when the table contains a clustered index. When a table has a clustered index, the table is called a clustered table. If a table has no clustered index, its data rows are stored in an unordered structure called a heap.
Looking at the wording you've provided, it looks like a trick question. The statement provided says:
"A clustered index sorts and stores the data columns of a table or view in order, based on the clustered index key."
It's the rows that are sorted not the columns. But the rows are sorted by the column values, so it's easy to miss that in the question.
October 11, 2019 at 9:55 am
It's a poorly worded question. I can think of two reasons why the statement could be construed as being wrong:
(1) It's the rows that are stored in sorted order, not the columns.
(2) The rows are stored in a logical sorted order, but not necessarily a physical one. Fragmentation of the disk or of the index itself would destroy the physical order.
John
October 13, 2019 at 11:23 pm
This makes sense. Thank you.
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