Maximum No. of Indexes

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Maximum No. of Indexes

Sriram-288748

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March 19, 2009 at 9:16 pm

#384166

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Maximum No. of Indexes
Sriram

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ChiragNS One Orange Chip Points: 26137 More actions · Answer 1

In BOL under Creating Indexes (Database Engine) section its mentioned that there can be 249 non clustered indexes per table.

But In BOL under Create table sections its mentiond 999 😉

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Adi Cohn-120898 SSC-Dedicated Points: 33944 More actions · Answer 2

Chirag (3/20/2009)
In BOL under Creating Indexes (Database Engine) section its mentioned that there can be 249 non clustered indexes per table.
But In BOL under Create table sections its mentiond 999 😉

In that case BOL has a bug:-D

Adi

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Betim Drenica SSC-Addicted Points: 441 More actions · Answer 3

I am also confused because in BOL (Indexes Section) is mentioned 249

{The maximum number of nonclustered indexes that can be created per table is 249.}

. This is a really documentation bug I think. Even if, I'll expend some time to prove this in my srv.

Hugo Kornelis SSC Guru Points: 64780 More actions · Answer 4

Chirag (3/20/2009)
In BOL under Creating Indexes (Database Engine) section its mentioned that there can be 249 non clustered indexes per table.
But In BOL under Create table sections its mentiond 999 😉

As others have already said, this is a documentation bug in BOL. The maximum number of nonclustered indexes was 249 on SQL Server 2005 and before, but the maximum has been increased to 999 for SQL Server 2008. Apparently, MS has overlooked one page when applying this modification to BOL.

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Andrew Watson-478275 SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4652 More actions · Answer 5

Just as well one of the answers wasn't 250, or I would have gone for that (1C + 249NC). I hit the wrong page in BOL first, and it's only when the answer I was expecting wasn't in the choices that I dug a bit further.

Couldn't the answer also be 1498 when we take the 249 XML indices and 249 spacial indices into account as well?

Sriram-288748 SSCrazy Points: 2874 More actions · Answer 6

Yes, the answer could have been that also, but for in the question we have (clustered + non clustered) explicitly mentioned.

Sriram

Luke L SSC-Dedicated Points: 35547 More actions · Answer 7

How very un-binary of them... I found 999 an odd number to have as a maximum.

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Rudyx - the Doctor SSC-Forever Points: 43695 More actions · Answer 8

Regardless of the discrepancy, 249 or 999, any design that requires anywhere near that theoretical maximum, is most probably a 'pile of dung' !

RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."

Steven Cameron SSCrazy Points: 2903 More actions · Answer 9

When the question specifies the version of SQL Server, you should double check that the selected article in BOL is for that version. The Local Help search in BOL lists only the 2005 version of CREATE INDEX while the MSDN Online search section lists articles for both the 2005 and the 2008 versions.

Andrew Watson-478275 SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4652 More actions · Answer 10

I do have the 2008 BOL on my desktop. CREATE INDEX is OK, but it's wrong in the "Implementing Indexes" section of "Designing and Implementing Structured Storage".

Mauve SSChampion Points: 11316 More actions · Answer 11

Andrew Watson (3/20/2009)
I do have the 2008 BOL on my desktop. CREATE INDEX is OK, but it's wrong in the "Implementing Indexes" section of "Designing and Implementing Structured Storage".

Likewise. I have the January 2009 edition of the SQL Server 2008 BOL. In the section titled "Index Creation Tasks"

(local URL: ms-help://MS.SQLCC.v10/MS.SQLSVR.v10.en/s10de_1devconc/html/b182c8be-581e-4ec8-86d2-31557ee05b25.htm)

it still states the SQL Server 2005 values.

Interesting, the entire section has been eliminated/reworked in the February, 2009 edition -- which is only available online at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms180857.aspx

Edit: It is still wrong there: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190197.aspx

So depending upon what Microsoft material you reference, there are two different answers. However, the value 250 (1 clustered and 249 nonclustered) was NOT one of the answers. So if you responded 249 you are still wrong.

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john.arnott SSChampion Points: 11882 More actions · Answer 12

Interesting QOD. It's good to know that SQL 2008 has raised a limit that some may have come up against. Also interesting that (as of this posting), the responses look about as close to a guess-fest as possible:

249 -- 21%

255 -- 28%

1000 -- 24%

1024 -- 27%

The Dixie Flatline SSC Guru Points: 53354 More actions · Answer 13

Another link for 249. Fortunately I will never need anywhere near that number.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190197.aspx

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BudaCli Hall of Fame Points: 3384 More actions · Answer 14

Nice and simple

What you don't know won't hurt you but what you know will make you plan to know better