Creating an Index

You can use an index to speed access to data in a database table. You create an index by selecting one or more columns in a table that you want to be able to search on. You can use the index once you save the table.

To create an index

1. In your database diagram, select the table you want to index, right-click the table, and choose Indexes/Keys from the shortcut menu.

   -or-

   Open the Table Designer for the table you want to index, right-click in the Table Designer, and choose Indexes/Keys from the shortcut menu.

2. Choose New. The Selected index box displays the system-assigned name of the new index.
   
   
3. Under Column name, select the columns you want to index. You can select up to 16 columns. For optimal performance, select only one or two columns.  For each column you select, you can indicate whether the index organizes its values in ascending or descending order.
   
   
4. Specify any other desired settings for the index and then click OK.

The index is created in the database when you save the table or diagram.

See Also

Creating a Clustered Index | Creating a Unique Index | Deleting an Index | Indexes | Renaming an Index | Saving, Displaying, and Updating an Index Definition | Specifying a Fill Factor for an Index