Processing range operation data management statements in a database is provided. The method comprises receiving statements for range operations that specify referenced pages in the database. The range operations are stored in a search structure in a table directory in the database and applied to any referenced pages in a memory buffer pool. Application of the range operations is postponed for any referenced pages not in the memory buffer pool. The database determines if reading the postponed pages into the buffer pool would exceed a specified input/output threshold. If reading the postponed pages into the buffer pool does not exceed the specified threshold, the database reads the postponed pages from disk to the buffer pool asynchronously in parallel, and the range operations are then applied to the postponed pages. Pages modified by the range operations are then written from the buffer pool back to disk.