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Index fragmentation is itself a quite distinctive topic as a lot of users don’t even know about it. However, still it troubles the users a lot. Hence, if you’re also facing the same issue, you can fix SQL Server index fragmentation & be a master of it with the right knowledge. Yes, this can be quite a difficult issue to tackle only without the right tool & technique. Let’s move forward to know what’s fragmentation & how to reduce index fragmentation in SQL Server.
In simple words, SQL Server pages have 8KB of storage spaces in them. Now, these pages aren’t filled to their capacity, the new data is stored in those pages. This disturbs the logical order of the pages. Hence, it severely degrades the performance of the data pages. This also happens when a user deletes some data from a file. The deletion creates space in the pages in which the platform tries to fill new data resulting in fragmentation.
To avoid such issues, follow this article till the very end. We’re going to mention the best solution available to solve the issue. Both manual & automated solutions are there along with the critical causes. In addition, the features & drawbacks are also there for users to get detailed insight.
How to Reduce Index Fragmentation in SQL Server? First Know the In & Outs
Before we move on towards the solution, we must be aware of the Dos & Don’ts of this entire task. This way, we can hit two targets with just one bullet. The first benefit is the detailed understanding of the next steps to do, The second one is the precaution to avoid such scenarios in the future.
DOs
- Users should select the cluster keys that are ever increasing or we can say ever decreasing values. This can result in a decrease in the page split as your fresh data will be placed either at the beginning or end of the logical page chain.
- Users should be well aware of the page split causes. Make sure that any modification in the values of the index can cause the page split. Let it be the changes in the values, columns width, or something else.
- Users should execute the ideal factors for index fill. We can analyze the fragmentation at the default fill factor settings & maximize it in order to reduce the unnecessary fragmentation.
DON’Ts
- If you usually Insert records with random key values, stop doing it. Selecting static key values instead of random values is the right way to do it.
- Updating existing records to make them longer & push them to new pages. Evidently, this will lead to non-sequential leaf pages which causes performance issues.
- Modifying or updating the index key columns. This initiates a full row delete & a full row insert with new values. New rows will cause a page split in case of lack of space.
Fix SQL Server Index Fragmentation Manually – Know If It’s Worth It
Selecting the method of resolving the fragmentation depends on the level of fragmentation. This level can be measured in percentage. Let’s have a look at the solutions we have to solve such issues.
10% Fragmentation Level: Users can ignore the fragmentation issues only if it’s under 10 percent. This much fragmentation is quite normal & doesn’t really affect the performance of the server much.
11% to 30% Fragmentation: If your fragmentation level is higher than 10 percent & less than 30 percent, use the Reorganize command to solve the issues.
30% to 40% Fragmentation: Using the Rebuild command is necessary if you have fragmentation of 30 to 40 percent. Consider this a severe level of fragmentation & pay attention to it.
40% + Fragmentation: There are no manual commands that help users to solve the fragmentation issues higher than 40%. In this case, the automated solutions are the only solution that users have.
Best & Ideal Automated Solution to Solve the Index Fragmentation
Now. when it comes to the ideal solution to fix SQL Server index fragmentation, we have the automated approach. This can help users in case of fragmentation issues with greater than 40%. The Best SQL Database Recovery Tool is the optimum utility to execute this operation.
This solution holds a long list of advanced features that no other solution in this segment can match. This tool can safely repair all the files to their original state with the best-in-class security features.
Downlaod the tool & then follow the below-mentioned steps to get your desired results.
Step-1. Launch the automated Utility & then Hit the Open button to add MDF files.
Step-2. Select the Quick or Advanced Scan option to simply detect & repair issues.
Step-3. Select the Destination of repaired files as SQL Server, CSV file or Script file.
Step-4. Choose the Data Objects & then Click on the Save/Export button option.
After this, your data files will be all repaired & you will feel the difference in performance.
Distinctive Features of the Automated Method Available
The automated solution has several features that aren’t present in the other solutions. Below are the ground-breaking features mentioned. This can help you in making a clear decision.
- No limitation on the file size. Users can process heavy MDF files without lags.
- Quick & Advance, dual scan mode for the detection of low to high-level issues.
- Repair & Recover the tables, functions, indexes, rules, stored procedures, etc.
- Detects the SQL Server Version & Name and also provides the manual option.
- Support SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008/2008R2, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019.
There are plenty of other features but we can’t mention them all here as the list is quite long.
Bringing It All Together
Now as the final say, we are going to users that getting adequate knowledge is the key to solving all issues. If you’re planning to opt for the automated solution, then that’s the right decision without a doubt. However, the manual method also works but with its limitations that can not be ignored at all.
If you want to experience the most smooth experience to fix SQL Server index fragmentation, you should select the automated solution. To justify our statements, you should know that even Expert IT professionals & Microsoft’s qualified MVPs also use this automated tool themselves.
Also Read: How to See Tables in SQL Database? An Introduction 2022
