Index Reorganizing
Index reorganizing is a database maintenance operation that defragments and reorders the physical storage of index pages to improve performance and reclaim unused space. It involves physically reordering the leaf-level pages of an index to match the logical order, reducing fragmentation without rebuilding the entire index structure. This process is less resource-intensive than a full index rebuild and is typically performed online to minimize downtime.
Developers should learn and use index reorganizing to maintain database performance in production environments where indexes become fragmented over time due to data modifications like inserts, updates, and deletes. It is particularly useful for SQL Server and other relational databases to optimize query execution plans, reduce I/O operations, and improve overall system efficiency, especially in OLTP systems with frequent data changes. Regular reorganization helps prevent performance degradation without the overhead of a full rebuild.