Progress
Database Design
Guide
Disadvantages of Defining an Index
Even though indexes are beneficial, there are two things to keep in mind when defining indexes for your database:
- Indexes take up disk space. (See the "Calculating Index Size" section.)
- Indexes can slow down other processes. When the user updates an indexed column, Progress updates all related indexes as well. Also, when the user creates or deletes a row, Progress changes all the indexes for that table.
Define the indexes that your application requires, but avoid indexes that provide minor benefit or are infrequently used. For example, unless you display data in a particular order frequently (such as by zip code), then you are better off sorting the data when you display it instead of defining an index to do automatic sorting.
Copyright © 2004 Progress Software Corporation www.progress.com Voice: (781) 280-4000 Fax: (781) 280-4095 |