• Lynn Pettis (4/17/2014)


    ScottPletcher (4/17/2014)


    You need to do further research before you change the existing index to a filtered index, because that index will no longer satisfy queries originally using it if you filter out the values it was using.

    Besides, I was hoping that the date range itself would eliminate enough rows to improve I/O significantly without impairing any existing uses of the index.

    What date range? The query wants EVERYTHING prior to a specific date.

    That's still a date range, from beginning date to the specified date. As I noted earlier, specific row counts would be necessary to do a full analysis, but coming in by date at least guarantees reducing the total number of rows that need searched.

    Isn't if a far greater concern that willy-nilly changing an existing index to a filtered index could destroy the performance of a large number of existing queries that currently perform quite well?

    SQL DBA,SQL Server MVP(07, 08, 09) "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing Milk-Bone underwear." "Norm", on "Cheers". Also from "Cheers", from "Carla": "You need to know 3 things about Tortelli men: Tortelli men draw women like flies; Tortelli men treat women like flies; Tortelli men's brains are in their flies".