Synopsis: Index Shotgun

“Hey! Got a minute? I could use your help,” the Oklahoman accent on the phone is shouting over the data center ventilation. It’s the lead database administrator for your company.

“Sure,” you answer, a little unsure about what they could want.

“The thing is, you’ve got a database here that’s pretty much taken over the server,” the DBA continues. “I went in there to take a look, and I see the problem. You’ve got no indexes on some tables and every index in the world on some other tables. We’ve got to get this worked out or give you a server all to yourself because nobody else can get any time!”