Than you for responding to my question.

Respectfully I disagree with your correct solution.

Losing a constraint of not null simply to modify the column length quickly is not a valid option. every. Doing so not only performs the desired result of increasing the column capacity, but it also changes the nullability of a column.

The better option would be to copy the data into a new table using Select ... INTO which would not be transacted. Drop the previous table constraints. Rename the new table, and then re-establish constraints.

If the goal was simply to perform the update quickly, which was not made clear in the problem to be solved, then I can not comprehend how changing the schema is a valid option. I'd revoke rights of any developer who did that on my watch.

Sorry...I'm just bringing real world experience to a theoretical question.;-)