Tag Archives: Indexes

How to find Missing Indexes for all databases in a SQL Server instance

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This script is for SQL Server 2005 and up. The script will return all the missing indexes for a SQL Server instance, rating their impact and provide the T-SQL to create the missing indexes.

SQL Server 2005 was the first version of SQL Server to add DMV (Database Management View) and DMO (Database Management Objects) which this script requires to function.
DMV & DMO provide useful information about SQL Server like expensive queries, wait types, missing indexes etc.

WARNING!
Before you create the missing indexes on the referenced tables you must consider the following essential points:
• Find and assess all the queries that are using the table referenced. If the table has a heavy amount of Data Manipulation Language (DML) operations against it (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE) then you must analyse what impact adding the missing index will have before you create it on the table. INSERTs on tables are slowed down by nonclustered indexes for example.
• You need to make sure that by creating the missing indexes you are not going to end up with duplicate indexes on tables. The duplicate or unwanted indexes can kill your database performance. Search for the blog “over-indexing can hurt your SQL Server performance” for more information.
• If you find there is already an existing index that has most of the columns of the missing index highlighted you should consider adding the missing columns to the current index rather than creating another index on the table. FYI making an index wider does not mean adding all columns from a table into the current index.

/*Script to find Missing Indexes for all databases in SQL Server*/
/*
This script is for SQL Server 2005 and up. 
The script will return all the missing indexes for a SQL Server instance, rating their impact 
and provide the T-SQL to create the missing indexes.

SQL Server 2005 was the first version of SQL Server to add DMV (Database Management View) 
and DMO (Database Management Objects) which this script requires to function. 
DMV & DMO provide useful information about SQL Server like expensive queries, wait types, missing indexes etc.

WARNING!
Before you create the missing indexes on the referenced tables you must consider the following essential points:
• Find and assess all the queries that are using the table referenced. If the table has a heavy amount of Data Manipulation Language (DML) 
operations against it (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE) then you must analyse what impact adding the missing index will have before you create it on the table. 
INSERTs on tables are slowed down by nonclustered indexes for example.
• You need to make sure that by creating the missing indexes you are not going to end up with duplicate indexes on tables. 
The duplicate or unwanted indexes can kill your database performance. Search for the blog “over-indexing can hurt your SQL Server performance” for more information.
• If you find there is already an existing index that has most of the columns of the missing index highlighted you should consider adding the missing columns to 
the current index rather than creating another index on the table. FYI making an index wider does not mean adding all columns from a table into the current index.
*/
SELECT [EstIndexUses]
	,[EstIndexImpact%]
	,[EstAvgQueryCost]
	,[DbName]
	,[SchemaName]
	,[TableName]
	,[CreateIndex]
	,[EqualityColumns]
	,[InequalityColumns]
	,[IncludedColumns]
	,[UniqueCompiles]
	,[LastUserSeek]
FROM (
	SELECT migs.user_seeks AS [EstIndexUses]
		,migs.avg_user_impact AS [EstIndexImpact%]
		,migs.avg_total_user_cost AS [EstAvgQueryCost]
		,db_name(mid.database_id) AS [DbName]
		,OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(mid.OBJECT_ID, mid.database_id) AS [SchemaName]
		,OBJECT_NAME(mid.OBJECT_ID, mid.database_id) AS [TableName]
		,'CREATE INDEX [IX_' + OBJECT_NAME(mid.OBJECT_ID, mid.database_id) + '_' + REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(ISNULL(mid.equality_columns, ''), ', ', '_'), '[', ''), ']', '') + CASE 
			WHEN mid.equality_columns IS NOT NULL
				AND mid.inequality_columns IS NOT NULL
				THEN '_'
			ELSE ''
			END + REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(ISNULL(mid.inequality_columns, ''), ', ', '_'), '[', ''), ']', '') + ']' + ' ON ' + mid.statement + ' (' + ISNULL(mid.equality_columns, '') + CASE 
			WHEN mid.equality_columns IS NOT NULL
				AND mid.inequality_columns IS NOT NULL
				THEN ','
			ELSE ''
			END + ISNULL(mid.inequality_columns, '') + ')' + ISNULL(' INCLUDE (' + mid.included_columns + ') WITH (MAXDOP =?, FILLFACTOR=?, ONLINE=?, SORT_IN_TEMPDB=?);', '') AS [CreateIndex]
		,mid.equality_columns AS EqualityColumns
		,mid.inequality_columns AS InequalityColumns
		,mid.included_columns AS IncludedColumns
		,migs.unique_compiles AS UniqueCompiles
		,migs.last_user_seek AS LastUserSeek
	FROM sys.dm_db_missing_index_group_stats AS migs WITH (NOLOCK)
	INNER JOIN sys.dm_db_missing_index_groups AS mig WITH (NOLOCK) ON migs.group_handle = mig.index_group_handle
	INNER JOIN sys.dm_db_missing_index_details AS mid WITH (NOLOCK) ON mig.index_handle = mid.index_handle
	) AS a
WHERE 1 = 1
--AND [EstIndexUses] > 1000
--AND [EstIndexImpact%] > 10
--AND [EstAvgQueryCost] > 1
--AND DbName IN ('DatabaseName')
ORDER BY [EstIndexUses] DESC
	,[EstAvgQueryCost] DESC
	,[EstIndexImpact%] DESC
OPTION (RECOMPILE);

 

How to create Clustered and Nonclustered Indexes on a Temp Table

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One of the best features of temp tables is that an index can be applied to them.

To clarify temp tables start with #, exist within the tempdb and are accessible within child batches (nested triggers, procedure, exec calls) of the query.

The execution plan can also determine the relevant statistics regarding their operation and suggest means of optimisation and will often suggest applying an index to the table.
Below is a simple example of applying both clustered and nonclustered indexes to the temporary table #Apostle created from a CTE (Common Table Expression).

 

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#Apostle') IS NOT NULL
	DROP TABLE #Apostle;

WITH CTE
AS (
	SELECT 1 AS ID
		,'Simon Peter' AS NAME
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 2
		,'James'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 3
		,'John'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 4
		,'Andrew'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 5
		,'Philip'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 6
		,'Thomas'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 7
		,'Bartholomew'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 8
		,'Matthew'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 9
		,'James'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 10
		,'Simon'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 11
		,'Thaddaeus'
	
	UNION
	
	SELECT 12
		,'Judas'
	)
SELECT *
INTO #Apostle
FROM CTE

-- CREATE INDEXES
CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX IDX_CLUSTERED_ID ON #Apostle (ID)

CREATE NONCLUSTERED INDEX IDX_NONCLUSTERED_ID ON #Apostle (ID)

 

Microsoft defines clustered and nonclustered indexes as the following:

Clustered

  • Clustered indexes sort and store the data rows in the table or view based on their key values. These are the columns included in the index definition. There can be only one clustered index per table, because the data rows themselves can be sorted in only one order.
  • The only time the data rows in a table are stored in sorted order is when the table contains a clustered index. When a table has a clustered index, the table is called a clustered table. If a table has no clustered index, its data rows are stored in an unordered structure called a heap.

Nonclustered

  • Nonclustered indexes have a structure separate from the data rows. A nonclustered index contains the nonclustered index key values and each key value entry has a pointer to the data row that contains the key value.
  • The pointer from an index row in a nonclustered index to a data row is called a row locator. The structure of the row locator depends on whether the data pages are stored in a heap or a clustered table. For a heap, a row locator is a pointer to the row. For a clustered table, the row locator is the clustered index key.
  • You can add nonkey columns to the leaf level of the nonclustered index to by-pass existing index key limits, 900 bytes and 16 key columns, and execute fully covered, indexed, queries.

Source

To learn more about indexes this is a good video on the topic.