Upgrade your database file format   Some new features are made available by applying the Upgrade utility, but others require a database file format upgrade, which is performed by unloading and reloading the database. To determine if an unload and reload is required to obtain a new feature, see Upgrading to SQL Anywhere 12.

New versions of the SQL Anywhere database server can be used without upgrading your database. If you want to use features of the new version that require access to new system tables or database options, you must use the Upgrade utility to upgrade your database. The Upgrade utility does not unload or reload any data.

If you want to use the new version of SQL Anywhere that relies on changes in the database file format, you must unload and reload your database. You should back up your database before rebuilding the database.

For more information about upgrading your database, see Upgrading SQL Anywhere.

For information about upgrading SQL Anywhere or rebuilding a database involved in a database mirroring system, see Upgrading SQL Anywhere software and databases in a database mirroring system.

Reclaim disk space   Databases do not shrink if you delete data. Instead, any empty pages are simply marked as free so they can be used again. They are not removed from the database unless you rebuild it. Rebuilding a database can reclaim disk space if you have deleted a large amount of data from your database and do not anticipate adding more.

Improve database performance   Rebuilding databases can improve performance. Since the database can be unloaded and reloaded in order by primary keys, access to related information can be faster as related rows may appear on the same or adjacent pages.