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Attempts to reclaim unused space causes the used space to increase significantly in SQL Server

Submitted by: @import:stackexchange-dba·Mar 10, 2026·

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spacethesqlreclaimunusedusedincreaseattemptssignificantlyserver

Problem

I have a table in a production database that has a size of 525 GB, of which 383 GB is unused:

I'd like to reclaim some of this space, but, before messing with the production DB, I'm testing some strategies on an identical table in a test DB with less data. This table has a similar problem:

Some information about the table:

The fill factor is set to 0

There are about 30 columns

One of the columns is a LOB of type image, and it's storing files that range in size from a few KB to several hundred MB

The table does not have any hypothetical indexes associated with it

The Server is running SQL Server 2017 (RTM-GDR) (KB4505224) - 14.0.2027.2 (X64). The database is using the SIMPLE recovery model.

Some things I've tried:

Rebuilding the indexes: ALTER INDEX ALL ON dbo.MyTable REBUILD. This had a negligible impact.

Reorganizing the indexes: ALTER INDEX ALL ON dbo.MyTable REORGANIZE WITH(LOB_COMPACTION = ON). This had a negligible impact.

Copied the LOB column to another table, dropped the column, re-created the column, and copied the data back (as outlined in this post: Freeing Unused Space SQL Server Table). This decreased the unused space, but it seemed to just convert it into used space:

Used the bcp utility to export the table, truncate it, and reload it (as outlined in this post: How to free the unused space for a table). This also reduced the unused space and increased the used space to a similar extent as the above image.

Even though it's not recommended, I tried the DBCC SHRINKFILE and DBCC SHRINKDATABASE commands, but they didn't have any impact on the unused space.

Running DBCC CLEANTABLE('myDB', 'dbo.myTable') didn't make a difference

I've tried all of the above both while maintaining the image and text datatypes and after changing the datatypes to varbinary(max) and varchar(max).

I tried importing the data into a new table in a fresh database, and this also only converted the unused space into used space. I outlined

Solution

I'd run DBCC UPDATEUSAGE against the table as a first step, since the symptoms show inconsistent space usage.

DBCC UPDATEUSAGE corrects the rows, used pages, reserved pages, leaf pages and data page counts for each partition in a table or index. If there are no inaccuracies in the system tables, DBCC UPDATEUSAGE returns no data. If inaccuracies are found and corrected and WITH NO_INFOMSGS is not used, DBCC UPDATEUSAGE returns the rows and columns being updated in the system tables.

Syntax is:

DBCC UPDATEUSAGE (N'', N'');

After you run that, I'd run EXEC sys.sp_spaceused against the table:

EXEC sys.sp_spaceused @objname = N'dbo.MyTable'
    , @updateusage = 'false' --true or false
    , @mode = 'ALL' --ALL, LOCAL_ONLY, REMOTE_ONLY
    , @oneresultset = 1;

The above command has the option to update usage, but since you ran DBCC UPDATEUSAGE manually first, just leave that set to false. Running DBCC UPDATEUSAGE manually allows you to see if anything was corrected.

The following query should show the percentage of bytes free in the table and the percentage of free pages in the table. Since the query uses an undocumented feature, it's unwise to count on the results, but it seems accurate when compared with the output from sys.sp_spaceused, at a high-level.

If the percent of free bytes is significantly higher than the percent of free pages, then you have a lot of partially empty pages.

Partially empty pages can stem from a number of causes, including:

-
Page splits, where the page must be split to accommodate new inserts into the clustered index

-
An inability to fill the page with columns due to column size.

The query uses the undocumented sys.dm_db_database_page_allocations dynamic management function:

;WITH dpa AS 
(
    SELECT dpa.*
        , page_free_space_percent_corrected = 
          CASE COALESCE(dpa.page_type_desc, N'')
            WHEN N'TEXT_MIX_PAGE' THEN 100 - COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
            WHEN N'TEXT_TREE_PAGE' THEN 100 - COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
            ELSE COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
          END
    FROM sys.dm_db_database_page_allocations(DB_ID(), OBJECT_ID('dbo.MyTable'), NULL, NULL, 'DETAILED') dpa
)
, src AS
(
SELECT TotalKB = COUNT_BIG(1) * 8192 / 1024
    , FreeKB = SUM((dpa.page_free_space_percent_corrected / 100) * CONVERT(bigint, 8192)) / 1024
    , TotalPages = COUNT_BIG(1)
    , TotalEmptyPages = SUM(CASE WHEN dpa.page_free_space_percent_corrected = 100 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) --completely empty pages
FROM dpa
)
SELECT *
    , BytesFreePercent = (CONVERT(decimal(38,2), src.FreeKB) / src.TotalKB) * 100
    , UnusedPagesPercent = (CONVERT(decimal(38,2), src.TotalEmptyPages) / src.TotalPages) * 100
FROM src

Output looks like:

╔═════════╦════════╦════════════╦═════════════════╦══════════════════╦════════════════════╗
║ TotalKB ║ FreeKB ║ TotalPages ║ TotalEmptyPages ║ BytesFreePercent ║ UnusedPagesPercent ║
╠═════════╬════════╬════════════╬═════════════════╬══════════════════╬════════════════════╣
║ 208 ║ 96 ║ 26 ║ 12 ║ 46.153800 ║ 46.153800 ║
╚═════════╩════════╩════════════╩═════════════════╩══════════════════╩════════════════════╝

I wrote a blog post describing the function here.

In your scenario, since you've executed ALTER TABLE ... REBUILD, you should see a very low number for TotalEmptyPages, but I'm guessing you'll still have around 72% in BytesFreePercent.

I've used your CREATE TABLE script to attempt to recreate your scenario.

This is the MCVE I'm using:

```
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS dbo.MyTable;

CREATE TABLE [dbo].MyTable,
[Column2] [int] NOT NULL,
[Column3] [int] NOT NULL,
[Column4] [bit] NOT NULL,
[Column5] [tinyint] NOT NULL,
[Column6] [datetime] NULL,
[Column7] [int] NOT NULL,
[Column8] varchar NULL,
[Column9] varchar NULL,
[Column10] [int] NULL,
[Column11] [image] NULL,
[Column12] [text] NULL,
[Column13] varchar NULL,
[Column14] varchar NULL,
[Column15] [int] NOT NULL,
[Column16] [bit] NOT NULL,
[Column17] [datetime] NULL,
[Column18] varchar NULL,
[Column19] varchar NULL,
[Column20] varchar NULL,
[Column21] varchar NULL,
[Column22] varchar NULL,
[Column23] varchar NULL,
[Column24] varchar NULL,
[Column25] char NULL,
[Column26] varchar NULL,
[Column27] varchar NULL,
[Column28] varchar NULL,
[Column29] [int] NULL,
[Column30] [text] NULL,
CONSTRAINT [PK] PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED
(
[Column1] ASC,
[Column2] ASC,
[Column3] ASC
)WITH (PAD_INDEX = OFF, STATIS

Code Snippets

EXEC sys.sp_spaceused @objname = N'dbo.MyTable'
    , @updateusage = 'false' --true or false
    , @mode = 'ALL' --ALL, LOCAL_ONLY, REMOTE_ONLY
    , @oneresultset = 1;

;WITH dpa AS 
(
    SELECT dpa.*
        , page_free_space_percent_corrected = 
          CASE COALESCE(dpa.page_type_desc, N'')
            WHEN N'TEXT_MIX_PAGE' THEN 100 - COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
            WHEN N'TEXT_TREE_PAGE' THEN 100 - COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
            ELSE COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
          END
    FROM sys.dm_db_database_page_allocations(DB_ID(), OBJECT_ID('dbo.MyTable'), NULL, NULL, 'DETAILED') dpa
)
, src AS
(
SELECT TotalKB = COUNT_BIG(1) * 8192 / 1024
    , FreeKB = SUM((dpa.page_free_space_percent_corrected / 100) * CONVERT(bigint, 8192)) / 1024
    , TotalPages = COUNT_BIG(1)
    , TotalEmptyPages = SUM(CASE WHEN dpa.page_free_space_percent_corrected = 100 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) --completely empty pages
FROM dpa
)
SELECT *
    , BytesFreePercent = (CONVERT(decimal(38,2), src.FreeKB) / src.TotalKB) * 100
    , UnusedPagesPercent = (CONVERT(decimal(38,2), src.TotalEmptyPages) / src.TotalPages) * 100
FROM src

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS dbo.MyTable;

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[MyTable](
    [Column1]  [int]            NOT NULL IDENTITY(1,1),
    [Column2]  [int]            NOT NULL,
    [Column3]  [int]            NOT NULL,
    [Column4]  [bit]            NOT NULL,
    [Column5]  [tinyint]        NOT NULL,
    [Column6]  [datetime]       NULL,
    [Column7]  [int]            NOT NULL,
    [Column8]  [varchar](100)   NULL,
    [Column9]  [varchar](256)   NULL,
    [Column10] [int]            NULL,
    [Column11] [image]          NULL,
    [Column12] [text]           NULL,
    [Column13] [varchar](100)   NULL,
    [Column14] [varchar](6)     NULL,
    [Column15] [int]            NOT NULL,
    [Column16] [bit]            NOT NULL,
    [Column17] [datetime]       NULL,
    [Column18] [varchar](50)    NULL,
    [Column19] [varchar](50)    NULL,
    [Column20] [varchar](60)    NULL,
    [Column21] [varchar](20)    NULL,
    [Column22] [varchar](120)   NULL,
    [Column23] [varchar](4)     NULL,
    [Column24] [varchar](75)    NULL,
    [Column25] [char](1)        NULL,
    [Column26] [varchar](50)    NULL,
    [Column27] [varchar](128)   NULL,
    [Column28] [varchar](50)    NULL,
    [Column29] [int]            NULL,
    [Column30] [text]           NULL,
 CONSTRAINT [PK] PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED 
(
    [Column1] ASC,
    [Column2] ASC,
    [Column3] ASC
)WITH (PAD_INDEX = OFF, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS = ON) ON [PRIMARY]
) ON [PRIMARY] TEXTIMAGE_ON [PRIMARY]

ALTER TABLE [dbo].[MyTable] ADD  CONSTRAINT [DF_Column4]  DEFAULT (0) FOR [Column4]

ALTER TABLE [dbo].[MyTable] ADD  CONSTRAINT [DF_Column5]  DEFAULT (0) FOR [Column5]

ALTER TABLE [dbo].[MyTable] ADD  CONSTRAINT [DF_Column15]  DEFAULT (0) FOR [Column15]

ALTER TABLE [dbo].[MyTable] ADD  CONSTRAINT [DF_Column16]  DEFAULT (0) FOR [Column16]
GO

INSERT INTO dbo.MyTable (
      Column2
    , Column3
    , Column4
    , Column5
    , Column6
    , Column7
    , Column8
    , Column9
    , Column10
    , Column11
    , Column12
    , Column13
    , Column14
    , Column15
    , Column16
    , Column17
    , Column18
    , Column19
    , Column20
    , Column21
    , Column22
    , Column23
    , Column24
    , Column25
    , Column26
    , Column27
    , Column28
    , Column29
    , Column30
)
VALUES (
          0
        , 0
        , 0
        , 0
        , '2019-07-09 00:00:00'
        , 1
        , REPLICATE('A', 50)    
        , REPLICATE('B', 128)   
        , 0
        , REPLICATE(CONVERT(varchar(max), 'a'), 1)
        , REPLICATE(CONVERT(varchar(max), 'b'), 9000)
        , REPLICATE('C', 50)    
        , REPLICATE('D', 3)     
        , 0
        , 0
        , '2019-07-10 00:00:00'
        , REPLICATE('E', 25)    
        , REPLICATE('F', 25)    
        , REPLICATE('G', 30)    
        , REPLICATE('H', 10)    
        , REPLICATE('I', 120)   
        , REPLICATE('J', 4)     
        , REPLICATE('K', 75)    
        , 'L'       
        , REPLICAT

SELECT DatabaseName = d.name
    , ObjectName = o.name
    , IndexName = i.name
    , PartitionID = dpa.partition_id
    , dpa.allocation_unit_type_desc
    , dpa.allocated_page_file_id
    , dpa.allocated_page_page_id
    , dpa.is_allocated
    , dpa.page_free_space_percent --this seems unreliable
    , page_free_space_percent_corrected = 
        CASE COALESCE(dpa.page_type_desc, N'')
        WHEN N'TEXT_MIX_PAGE' THEN 100 - COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
        WHEN N'TEXT_TREE_PAGE' THEN 100 - COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
        ELSE COALESCE(dpa.page_free_space_percent, 100)
        END
    , dpa.page_type_desc
    , dpa.is_page_compressed
    , dpa.has_ghost_records
FROM sys.dm_db_database_page_allocations(DB_ID(), OBJECT_ID('dbo.MyTable'), NULL, NULL, 'DETAILED') dpa
    LEFT JOIN sys.databases d ON dpa.database_id = d.database_id
    LEFT JOIN sys.objects o ON dpa.object_id = o.object_id
    LEFT JOIN sys.indexes i ON dpa.object_id = i.object_id AND dpa.index_id = i.index_id
WHERE dpa.database_id = DB_ID() --sanity check for sys.objects and sys.indexes

SELECT ObjectName = s.name + N'.' + o.name
    , ReservedPageCount = SUM(dps.reserved_page_count)
    , UsePageCount = SUM(dps.used_page_count)
FROM sys.schemas s
    INNER JOIN sys.objects o ON s.schema_id = o.schema_id
    INNER JOIN sys.partitions p ON o.object_id = p.object_id
    INNER JOIN sys.dm_db_partition_stats dps ON p.object_id = dps.object_id
WHERE s.name = N'dbo'
    AND o.name = N'MyTable'
GROUP BY s.name + N'.' + o.name;

Context

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#243475, answer score: 11

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