Monica Rathbun tries out resumable online index creation in SQL Server 2019:
SQL Server 2019 brings a very exciting new feature that, is long overdue. Resumable online index create is one of my favorite new things. This paired with the Resumable Index Rebuilds introduced with SQL Server 2017 really gives database administrators much more control over index processes.
Have you ever started to build a new index on very large table only to have users call and complain their process is hung, not completing, or system is slow? That’s when you realize you’re the cause because you tried to sneak in a new index. I have many times, because creating a new index can impact performance and can be a problematic process for users when you have no or little downtime windows available. When you kill the create process it rolls back requiring you to start from the beginning the next time. With resumable online index creation you now have the ability to pause and restart the build at the point it was paused. You can see where this can be very handy.
Click through for a demo and discussion on what options are available.