ID Number: Q45661
1.00 1.10 1.11 4.20
OS/2
Summary:
The following steps describe a process for sorting records outside of
SQL Server:
1. Use BCP to unload the table. The rows will appear in the order in
which they were originally inserted or in the order of the
clustered index (if there is one).
2. Use TRUNCATE TABLE to purge all of the data from the table.
3. Sort the rows with the utility of your choice and reload them. If
no clustered index exists when the table is loaded, the rows will
be stored in the order loaded. If a clustered index exists, the
rows will be stored in clustered index order. The loading process
will be slower with indexes because the index(es) must be updated
every time a row is added.
If a clustered index is created after the table is loaded, the
entire table will be copied and sorted using the free pages within
the database. This will be done regardless of whether or not the
rows were sorted externally before they were loaded.
Additional reference words: BCP