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Working with Indexes

An index is a mechanism for providing fast access to table rows or for enforcing certain constraints.

For details about working with indexes, see the following topics.

Note

A new version of Table Designer appears for databases in the SQL Server 2012 format. This topic describes the old version of Table Designer, which you use with databases in earlier formats of SQL Server.

In the new version, you can change a table definition through a graphical interface or directly in a script pane. If you use the graphical interface, the table’s definition is automatically updated in the script pane. To apply the SQL code in the script pane, choose the Update button. For more information about the new version, see How to: Create Database Objects Using Table Designer.

In This Section

How to: Create Indexes

How to: Create Unique Indexes

How to: Create Clustered Indexes

How to: Create Full-Text Indexes

How to: Create Spatial Indexes

How to: Create XML Indexes

How to: Change Index Properties

How to: Rename Indexes

How to: Delete Indexes

How to: Delete Full-Text Indexes from Databases

How to: Delete Spatial Indexes

How to: Delete XML Indexes

How to: Sort Data in a Clustered Index

How to: Specify Fill Factors for Indexes

How to: Show Index Properties