Choosing an appropriate set of indexes for a database is an important part of optimizing performance. Identifying an appropriate set can also be a demanding problem. The performance benefits from some indexes can be significant, but there are also costs associated with indexes, in both storage space and in overhead when altering data.

The Index Consultant is a tool that assists you in proper selection of indexes. It analyzes either a single query or a set of operations, and recommends which indexes to add to your database. It also notifies you of indexes that are unused. See Using the Index Consultant.