Effect of DML Operations on an Index

The Oracle server maintains all the indexes when DML operations are carried out on the table. Here is an explanation of the effect of a DML command on an index:

• Insert operations result in the insertion of an index entry in the appropriate block
• Deleting a row results only in a logical deletion of the index entry. The space used by the deleted row is not available for new entries until all the entries in the block are deleted
• Updates to the key columns result in a logical delete and an insert to the index. The PCTFREE setting has no effect on the index except at the time of creation. A new entry may be added to an index block even if it has less space than that specified by PCTFREE