Fowarding Pointer or Forwarding Record

Forwarding record is a way the sql server does to not have to move the record for another location when updates occurs and  it reorganizes the leaf level of a physical structure. It's like the signs say that you moved to another address...

But there is a pay for that... every time the scan is being made, the sql server, when it trips on a forwarding pointer it jumps to the real address and get back to continue the scan... so... it makes a simple scan much more complicated.

 

here is a query to help you to check if you have a lot of these forwarding pointers

SELECT forwarded_record_count
FROM sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats
   (db_id('Northwind2'), object_id('neworders'), null, null, 'detailed')