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Asked: 2026-05-23T21:17:34+00:00

How can you determine if the performance gained on a SELECT by indexing a

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How can you determine if the performance gained on a SELECT by indexing a column will outweigh the performance loss on an INSERT in the same table? Is there a “tipping-point” in the size of the table when the index does more harm than good?

I have table in SQL Server 2008 with 2-3 million rows at any given time. Every time an insert is done on the table, a lookup is also done on the same table using two of its columns. I’m trying to determine if it would be beneficial to add indexes to the two columns used in the lookup.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Like everything else SQL-related, it depends:

    • What kind of fields are they? Varchar? Int? Datetime?
    • Are there other indexes on the table?
    • Will you need to include additional fields?
    • What’s the clustered index?
    • How many rows are inserted/deleted in a transaction?

    The only real way to know is to benchmark it. Put the index(es) in place and do frequent monitoring, or run a trace.

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