SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action

13.3. Index analysis

An unfortunate, all-too-common indexing approach is to carpet bomb the database with indexes in the hope that performance will (eventually) improve. Not only will such an approach fail, but it usually ends in tears with the accumulated performance and maintenance costs of unnecessary indexes eventually having a paralyzing effect. Fortunately, there is a much more effective approach, made all the easier using several index-related Dynamic Management Views (DMVs).

In this section, we'll approach index analysis from three angles, identifying indexes to drop, add, and defragment. Let's begin with a look at using DMVs to identify indexes that are candidates for removal.

Dynamic Management Views Dynamic Management Views return ...