Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!gatech!utkcs2!ornl!afh
From: afh@ornl.gov (HUNTLEY JR A F)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Sybase text fields
Keywords: sybase, text/image, sun4
Message-ID: <1991Apr11.175805.8344@ornl.gov>
Date: 11 Apr 91 17:58:05 GMT
Reply-To: afh@stc06.ctd.ornl.gov (HUNTLEY JR A F)
Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab
Lines: 25

Attn:  Sybase DBA's (Sun 4, especially),

Sites running Sybase SQL Server on Sun4's should use caution with
tables that contain text (and I think image, as well) datatype
fields.  If your SQL Server version is newer than mid-February
(Sun4 Sybase EBF471 Feb 14 1991, or later) (select @@version to
find out your version) do not drop or truncate tables that contain
text/image datafields.

If you do drop or truncate such tables, the space that had been
allocated for text pages DOES NOT GET DEALLOCATED (sorry, I don't
have the Sybase bug number yet) and there is no way to reclaim it
other than:
      1) a manual database rebuild on a new db allocation
   or 2) a Sybase Tech. Support dial-in session

If you do a delete from the table BEFORE the drop/truncate table
command then the text pages DO GET DEALLOCATED.  This bug _may_
have been ported to some non-Sun4 post-February EBF's as well.
They _expect_ to have another EBF to fix this situation in a month
or so.

Al Huntley
(615) 576-7170
afh@ornl.gov