The CREATE INDEX statement is used to create indexes in tables.
Indexes are used to retrieve data from the database more quickly than otherwise. The users cannot see the indexes; they are just used to speed up searches/queries.
Note: Updating a table with indexes takes more time than updating a table without (because the indexes also need an update). So, only create indexes on columns that will be frequently searched against.
CREATE INDEX SyntaxCreates an index on a table. Duplicate values are allowed:
CREATE INDEX index_name ON table_name (column1, column2, ...);
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX SyntaxCreates a unique index on a table. Duplicate values are not allowed:
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX index_name ON table_name (column1, column2, ...);
The following SQL statement creates an index named "idx_lastname" on the "LastName" column in the "Persons" table:
CREATE INDEX idx_lastname
ON Persons (LastName);