An update to statistics is an online operation, and users can continue to access the system while this is occurring. For any customer using SQL Server Standard Edition, rebuilding an index is an offline operation. The affected table is unavailable (locked) while its indexes are rebuilt.
In SQL Server Enterprise Edition, when the option to Keep index online while reindexing is enabled, SQL Server will rebuild the index online. The table can be accessed by users during this time. This operation may take longer, but it is useful for customers who require the database to always be available.
Microsoft imposes a limitation on rebuilding indexes online for indexes that include Large Object (LOB) data types. LOB data in SQL Server is typically any information stored as text, ntext, image, varchar(max), nvarchar(max), varbinary(max), or xml. Several tables within the OnBase schema fall into this category. Specifically, those tables for WorkView that contain “text” columns as part of a clustered index fall into this category. Because these indexes include LOB data, rebuilding the index without specifying the option WITH ONLINE = OFF will fail due to the constraint mentioned above. Rebuilding an index offline means that the index and underlying tables will not be available for queries or modification during the rebuild process. Using this option to rebuild indexes offline may be necessary when performing maintenance for OnBase systems that are licensed for WorkView.
Hyland Software, Inc. does not require or recommend a specific edition of SQL Server. The appropriate edition should be determined by the customer based on the customer's business requirements and needs.