Tuning reads (or perhaps the truncate!) for unusual database structure requiring regular truncates We have an unusual database structure (I leave the reasoning for another question), that in its current form requires a regular truncation and recreation of a lot of rows (about 1 million).

We're working to re-factor it. However, as a short term solution, are there any query hints that could help in this situation?

Is there a way of making it so if reads are occurring on the table being truncated/repopulated that it ignores this fact i.e. it'll just read the data before the truncation began?

We're trying to avoid locks (we think).

I realise this isn't a long term solution, but looking into possible solutions.
Any solution proposed, or any solution you could envision for the mater, would suffer from the same issue: coalesce point around the schema modification lock.

Whether you do a truncate, or an alter table ...switch, or sp_rename, alter schema whateverver, it doesn't matter. They're all the same solution in disguise. And all will have a point in time when the table that is being truncated/ switched/ renamed/ transfered must be locked with SCH-M. This is, in theory, an 'instantaneous metadata only operation', but in practice the SCH-M cannot be granted until all the other existing locks on the table are released, which means any query that is already running on the table will have to finish first. Fine, the operation will wait until the existing queries 'drain'. The issue is that no other query can get in until the pending SCH-M is granted and released. This is a well know lock starvation issue mitigation. So all of the sudden all your new queries will freeze until the very last old query finishes, then the truncate/ switch/ transfer occurs, and the new queries finally resume. This is not noticeable if all queries last 1 second, but if the queries are reports/ analysis that last on average minutes the effect is very visible, specially so if you have a long tail.

The good news is that you can stop worrying about how to do what you're trying to do: it is impossible. The bad news is that you have to fix the application now.