1. Getting To Know Your Indexes
Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008

2. Who Am I? Jason Strate SQL Server MVP
Enterprise Consultant with Digineer
Working with SQL Server since 1997
tinyurl.com/StrateSQL
twitter.com/StrateSQL

3. Session Agenda Session Goals Index Basics System Views Index DMVs
New Information

4. Session Agenda Session Goals Index Basics System Views Index DMVs
New Information

5. Session Goals
Identify methods to analyze current and potential indexes
Learn how to identify stress found on indexes
Demonstrate methods for tuning indexes
Usage patterns
Maintenance weight

6. Last Year on an Airplane…
I Had Dream…
What if…
“I mix all index related DMVs with its metadata into a single query?”

7. I Hope So This Means Something…
Will we learn something new about indexes and their relationships?
I Hope So

8. Session Agenda Session Goals Index Basics System Views Index DMVs
New Information

9. Index Basics
Storage structure (B-Tree) associated with a table or view built from one or more columns (key values). The purpose of which is to improved data retrieval.

10. Index Basics Types Clustered – data rows stored with key values
Non-Clustered – key values stored with pointer to data row
Heap – unordered structure
Vary with properties of Filtered, Included, Unique
Out-of-scope: Full-Text, Spatial, XML

11. Session Agenda Session Goals Index Basics System Views Index DMVs
New Information

12. Check Out The Indexes Methodology: Heaps or Clustered?
Identical Indexes
Overlapping Indexes
Objects
sys.indexes
sys.index_columns
sys.dm_db_partition_stats
Unique, primary key,

13. Foreign Keys? Methodology Index your foreign key columns. Objects:
sys.foreign_keys
sys.foreign_key_columns

14. System Views
DEMO

15. Session Agenda Session Goals Index Basics System Views Index DMVs
New Information

16. Captain Obvious Methodology Keep the indexes that you use Objects
sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats
sys.dm_db_index_operational_stats

17. Captain Obvious, Again Methodology
Build indexes that your queries will find useful
Objects
sys.dm_db_missing_index_details
sys.dm_db_missing_index_groups
sys.dm_db_missing_index_group_stats

18. Is It Money? Methodology Is it worth the maintenance? Objects
sys.dm_db_index_operational_stats

19. Did I Just Say Maintenance?
Methodology
Tuning is better than troubleshooting
Object
sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats

20. Index DMVs
DEMO

21. Are You Burning Disk? Methodology
IO is resource intensive – are you managing it?
Objects
sys.dm_os_buffer_descriptors
sys.allocation_units

22. Index DMVs
DEMO

23. Session Agenda Session Goals Index Basics System Views Index DMVs
New Information

24. Pull It Together Index Analysis System Views DMVs

25. Should I Create The Index?
Scenario
2nd index on table
10th index on table
20th index on table
Similarities
It Depends

26. It Depends Should I Drop The Index? Scenario Index is hardly used.
Maybe it’s used to determine your bonus
What’s the risk?
It Depends

27. Code Word: It Depends Get the information you need
Table A and Table B have different needs
Build a methodology around your databases
Best practices are guidelines

28. Build A Methodology
Analyze
Add
Monitor
Remove

29. Remember Spend time getting to know your indexes regularly
Data changes. Usage changes. So indexing needs change
DMV statistics are based on maintenance and service start times

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31. for attending this session and the 2009 PASS Summit in Seattle
Thank you
for attending this session and the PASS Summit in Seattle