Reading Query Plans: Stairway to SQL Server Indexes Level 9

Determining how, and if, SQL Server is using your indexes.

SQL Server Index Statistics

Are your index statistics up to date? The SQL Server database engine uses statistics to determine which execution plan to use when a query is compiled. Index statistics are used to help the SQL Server engine determine the cardinality of different column values in a SQL Server table. If you want to give SQL Server a fighting chance at picking an optimal execution plan then you need to make sure you maintain your index statistics.

Unique Indexes in SQL Server: Stairway to SQL Server Indexes Level 8

Indexes that ensure data integrity in addition to locating rows.

Are remote databases fragmented? Let's Defrag.

This article shows an automated reorg/rebuild index for remote servers with notifications for the DBA.

List all tables without LOB columns

Lists all the tables in a database that do not contain any LOB columns(text, ntext, image, varchar (max), nvarchar (max), varbinary (max) and xml).

Useful when rebuilding indexes online.

Filtered Indexes in SQL Server: Stairway to SQL Server Indexes Level 7

A filtered index eliminates unusable entries from the index, producing an index that is as beneficial as, but much smaller than, an unfiltered index. If a certain subset of a table's data is frequently requested, a filtered index can also be a covering index; resulting in a considerable reduction in IO.

SQL Server Index Maintenance Performance Tuning for Large Tables

If you think about it carefully, you’ll realise, that index maintenance is necessary and that it makes sense, and that SQL Server is not doing this task automatically according to the book.

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Bookmarks in SQL Server Indexes: Stairway to SQL Server Indexes Level 6

A nonclustered index entry consists of search key columns, included columns, and the bookmark. The bookmark value will be either a RID or the clustered index's key, depending upon whether the table is a heap or a clustered index. Choosing the best clustered index for a table requires that you follow three guidelines to ensure that the index key will make a good bookmark.

DBCC INDEXDEFRAG