ClickHouse/docs/en/sql-reference/statements/alter/index/index.md

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true	42	INDEX

Manipulating Data Skipping Indices

The following operations are available:

• ALTER TABLE [db].name ADD INDEX name expression TYPE type GRANULARITY value [FIRST|AFTER name] - Adds index description to tables metadata.

• ALTER TABLE [db].name DROP INDEX name - Removes index description from tables metadata and deletes index files from disk.

• ALTER TABLE [db.]table MATERIALIZE INDEX name IN PARTITION partition_name - The query rebuilds the secondary index name in the partition partition_name. Implemented as a mutation. To rebuild index over the whole data in the table you need to remove IN PARTITION from query.

The first two commands are lightweight in a sense that they only change metadata or remove files.

Also, they are replicated, syncing indices metadata via ZooKeeper.

!!! note "Note" Index manipulation is supported only for tables with *MergeTree engine (including replicated variants).