CHAPTER 1

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Index Fundamentals

The goal of this book is to help you improve the performance of your databases through the use of indexes. Before you can move toward that end, you must first understand what indexes are and why you need them. You need to understand the differences between how data in a clustered index, columnstore index, and heap table is stored. You also will look at how nonclustered and other index types are built and how indexes interact with other indexes. This chapter will provide the building blocks for understanding the logical design of indexes.

Why Build Indexes?

The most important asset any business owns is its data. Databases ...

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