To reclaim space after dropping a column, run DBCC CLEANTABLE or rebuild the index. This post measures both on a demo table and shows that CLEANTABLE shrinks the rows while only a rebuild returns the pages.
Size and Rows of Each Table in SQL Server, Indexes Included
To list the size and rows of each table, add up the pages from sys.dm_db_partition_stats and split them into data, index and unused space. This post shows three traps in the common join query and checks the corrected result against sp_spaceused.
Free Space in Database Files: Check Data and Log Files
To see the free space in database files, compare each file’s size with the pages it uses. This post gives one query for data and log files, adds the free space on the drive, and checks the log figure against a second source.
UPDATEUSAGE and Space: What It Fixes and What It Does Not
UPDATEUSAGE and space are two jobs: the command corrects page and row counts but frees no space. See a test where it finds nothing and a rebuild shrinks the table.
Read Only Tables – Is it Possible? – SQL in Sixty Seconds #179
After reading it, lots of people asked me if I can make a video on this topic. Of course, here we go, Read Only Tables – Is it Possible?
Freeze a Table With a Read Only Filegroup in SQL Server
Freeze a table by placing it on a READ_ONLY filegroup. See what fails, how to move a table in, and how to undo it in SQL Server.
SQL SERVER – Making Filegroup Read Only
A filegroup read-only setting prevents writes to objects stored there. A customer asked whether a table could be protected this way.