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SQL Indexes

The CREATE INDEX statement is used to create indexes in database tables to allow data to be retrieved more quickly than without indexes. Indexes are not visible to users but help improve search and query performance. Creating indexes takes more time for updating data as the indexes also need to be updated, so indexes should only be made on frequently searched columns. The syntax can vary between databases so users should check their specific database documentation.

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154 views

SQL Indexes

The CREATE INDEX statement is used to create indexes in database tables to allow data to be retrieved more quickly than without indexes. Indexes are not visible to users but help improve search and query performance. Creating indexes takes more time for updating data as the indexes also need to be updated, so indexes should only be made on frequently searched columns. The syntax can vary between databases so users should check their specific database documentation.

Uploaded by

Ivy Janice
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SQL CREATE INDEX Statement

The CREATE INDEX statement is used to create indexes in tables.

Indexes are used to retrieve data from the database more quickly than
otherwise. The users cannot see the indexes, they are just used to speed up
searches/queries.

Note: Updating a table with indexes takes more time than updating a table
without (because the indexes also need an update). So, only create indexes on
columns that will be frequently searched against.

CREATE INDEX Syntax


Creates an index on a table. Duplicate values are allowed:

CREATE INDEX index_name
ON table_name (column1, column2, ...);

CREATE UNIQUE INDEX Syntax


Creates a unique index on a table. Duplicate values are not allowed:

CREATE UNIQUE INDEX index_name
ON table_name (column1, column2, ...);

Note: The syntax for creating indexes varies among different databases.


Therefore: Check the syntax for creating indexes in your database.

CREATE INDEX Example


The SQL statement below creates an index named "idx_lastname" on the
"LastName" column in the "Persons" table:

CREATE INDEX idx_lastname
ON Persons (LastName);

If you want to create an index on a combination of columns, you can list the
column names within the parentheses, separated by commas:
CREATE INDEX idx_pname
ON Persons (LastName, FirstName);

DROP INDEX Statement


The DROP INDEX statement is used to delete an index in a table.

MS Access:

DROP INDEX index_name ON table_name;

SQL Server:

DROP INDEX table_name.index_name;

DB2/Oracle:

DROP INDEX index_name;

MySQL:

ALTER TABLE table_name
DROP INDEX index_name;

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