Sean Lange (4/19/2013)
That is a might big topic. I would not rely too heavily on DTA or the missing indexes views. In fact, I would probably not even look at them. The absolute best approach to figuring out what indexes you need on your system can't be handled on an online forum. You have to have access to so many things to dial this thing in. This type of thing also needs to be considered as a process instead of event. You can't just "add all the proper indexes" and then move on. It is an ongoing balance.You should probably read up on indexes. The stairways series on here is excellent. It starts out basic and gets pretty deep.
Bolded text is spot on. I think the most important thing to remember is that you need to know your data and the ways the data is accessed. This is a thing that is developed with time in the database and knowing that tuning is an iterative process.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
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I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
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