Investigating Missing SQL Indexes to Increase Performance

If your organization uses a relational database, chances are it relies on an SQL server.

Although there are companies with products bearing this name, here we use the term generically for those database management systems able to respond to queries from client machines that are formatted in SQL.

If you’re trying to troubleshoot or take on some performance tuning for your SQL server database, one of the issues may result from missing indexes.

An index stores data in the database logically. Indexes can be used for optimizing operations. They can, for example, be created across partitions. These different choices contribute to the database’s performance. A database administrator with a good understanding of how indexes work enables that administrator to improve database response time and performance as well as the end-user’s experience.

So why not insure your database is fully indexed from the outset? Microsoft’s Tom Mills explains:

You should be able to easily determine those missing indexes by using dynamic management views (DMV). From this point, proceed with care to prevent compounding the problem by adding indexes. SQL Server Pro advises:

Running a query is a better strategy for evaluating missing indexes. This approach pinpoints the issue on the specific database on which the query is being run. Mills adds:

As Kimberly L. Tripp, writing on SQLskills.com, observes, “[I]ndexing for performance is really about finding the right balance between too many and too few indexes, as well as trying to get more from the indexes that you do keep.”

Want to optimize your organization’s SQL server’s indexes and need experienced assistance? We can help you evaluate and fine-tune your database performance. Datavail experts can answer questions about your challenges by phone, but we are also available 24x7x365 through our online chat system.