Instead of deleting all records at once, break the operation into smaller batches. This reduces locking, transaction log growth, and the risk of timeouts.
2. Use Indexes
Ensure that the columns used in the WHERE clause of the delete queries are indexed. This speeds up the identification of rows to delete.
3. Disable Indexes and Constraints Temporarily
If the table has many indexes or constraints, disabling them during the delete operation can speed up the process. Re-enable them afterward.
I received a request from a client to delete duplicate records from a table which is very large in size.
Delete queries (~2 Billion) are provided via file, and we have to execute that file in DB. Last time it lasted for two days. I feel there must be another way to delete records in an efficient manner
Maybe the delete "queries" are poorly written. Maybe there's no supporting index.
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