How to: Create Indexes

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 as soon as you save the table.

Note

The dialog boxes and menu commands you see might differ from those described in Help depending on your active settings or edition. To change your settings, choose Import and Export Settings on the Tools menu. For more information, see Visual Studio Settings.

To create an index

  1. In Server Explorer, right-click the table for which you want to create an index and click Open Table Definition.

    The table opens in Table Designer.

  2. From the Table Designer menu, click Indexes/Keys.

  3. In the Indexes/Keys dialog box, click Add.

  4. Select the new index in the Selected Primary/Unique Key or Index list and set properties for the index in the grid to the right.

  5. Specify any other settings for the index and click Close.

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

Note

Not all databases work with indexes in the same way. For more information, consult your database documentation.

See Also

Reference

Indexes/Keys Dialog Box

Other Resources

Working with Indexes

Working with Keys

Working with Relationships