Creating the correct indexes and using them properly is essential to good query performance. We’ve introduced the different types of indexes and explored their strengths and weaknesses. Now let’s see how to really tap into the power of indexes.

There are many ways to choose and use indexes effectively, because there are many special-case optimizations and specialized behaviors. Determining what to use when and evaluating the performance implications of your choices are skills you’ll learn over time. The following sections will help you understand how to use indexes effectively.