A filtered index for recent rows is small and fast, but its date never moves by itself. Here is how to build it, test it and keep it fresh.
Price in Effect on a Date: Querying a Price History Table
Query a price history table for the price effective on each order date, enforce unique starts, and compare APPLY lookups with range joins.
Hypothetical Indexes in SQL Server: Find and Drop Them All
Hypothetical indexes are leftovers from the Database Engine Tuning Advisor. They hold a name and statistics but no data. This post lists them, shows they cannot serve a query, and drops them in two steps: a list you read first, and a drop second.
Eager Index Spool: When the Plan Builds Its Own Index
Investigate an eager index spool, read seek keys and output, and compare a supporting index with the cost of rebuilding temporary storage.
Index Key Columns and Included Columns in SQL Server
Index key columns and included columns show what each index really stores. This post builds one query that lists them for every index, then a second query that finds indexes with the same keys or a shared leading key. It ends with the rules for merging them safely.
What is Consolidation of Index? – Interview Question of the Week #212
What is consolidation of index? When a table has overlapping indexes, like one on Col1 and one on Col1, Col2, here is how I think about combining them.
SQL SERVER – Say No To Database Engine Tuning Advisor
I review Database Engine Tuning Advisor recommendations against the workload before applying them. That was the point behind my original opinion.