SQL Server MVP Deep Dives
by Adam Machanic, Greg Low, Kimberly Tripp, Paul S. Randal, Kalen Delaney, Paul Nielsen
Chapter 46. Using correlation to improve query performance
Gert-Jan Strik
SQL Server doesn’t keep statistics on the correlation between nonclustered indexes and the clustered index (with the exception of correlation information between datetime columns, if the DATE_CORRELATION_OPTIMIZATION setting is turned on). Instead, the optimizer assumes it has a low correlation; it assumes that a range of nonclustered index values is scattered all over the clustered index.
This assumption affects the optimizer’s decision whether or not to use the nonclustered index. If there is a high correlation, the optimizer will overestimate the cost of using the nonclustered index, which can cause it to disqualify the index from the query plan evaluation, resulting ...
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