The allocation state for an object is either allocated or not allocated. For a table instance either all objects that are part of the table instance are allocated, or none of the objects are allocated.
ABL supports three allocation states:
Immediate allocation — Space is allocated at the time an object is created.
Delayed allocation — Space is not allocated. Delayed allocation indicates that customizations to the storage area are required before allocation can occur, and that allocation will happen in a separate step. For example, delayed allocation is required if the tenant will be included in a group.
Do not allocate — Space is not allocated. Do not allocate indicates that allocation is not required or not planned for this object.
OpenEdge SQL supports two allocation states:
Allocated (default) — Allocated implies immediate allocation using the default storage area.
Not allocated — SQL syntax NO SPACE.
A database administrator can change the allocation state from not allocated to allocated at a future point, but once space is allocated it is not possible to change the allocation state (without first deleting the object and the data for the object).
Immediate allocation — Space is allocated at the time an object is created.