Webcast : Geek Sync | Understand Indexes to Write Better Queries

It’s relatively easy to learn how to query a database for information. SQL is a declarative language, meaning we simply tell the engine what to get, not how to get it. Some queries are fast, others are slow. We’ve all heard that an index will make the query faster, and often the solution to performance problems are indeed indexes. Why is that? What are they? How do you use them? With a good understanding of what indexes are and how the engine uses them, and by writing our queries with indexes in mind, we can make queries perform much faster.

In this session we’ll learn index basics and how to write queries that can take advantage of them for more efficient, better-performing queries.

Understanding database indexes is crucial for writing better database queries because it affects the performance, efficiency, and speed of your queries. Here are some reasons:

* Faster data retrieval: When you use indexes, the database can locate and retrieve the required data fast without scanning the entire table. This results in faster query execution and improved performance.

*  Efficient use of system resources: Using indexes reduces the amount of system resources, such as memory and central processing unit (CPU), required to execute a query. This allows the database to handle more queries and improves the overall performance of the system.

*  Improved query optimization: Understanding database indexes allows you to write better queries by taking advantage of the query optimizer. The optimizer uses indexes to determine the most efficient way to execute a query, resulting in faster and more efficient query execution.

*  Better sorting and filtering: Indexes can improve how sorting and filtering operations perform, which are common in database queries. By using indexes, you can filter and sort data fast based on specific columns, resulting in more efficient and faster queries.

*  Enhanced data integrity: Some types of indexes, such as unique indexes, can also help maintain data integrity by preventing duplicate entries in the indexed columns.

About the Presenter

Janice Gerbrandt has been designing and implementing database solutions to improve business functionality since 2001. She is an active PASS member and leads her local user group and a virtual group, as well as organizing SQL Saturday Victoria.

Please register to view the webcast replay.