Indexes are special lookup tables that the database search engine can use to speed up data retrieval. Simply put, an index is a pointer to data in a table. An index in a database is very similar to an index in the back of a book. For example, if you want to reference all pages in a book that discusses a certain topic, you have to first refer to the index, which lists all topics alphabetically and then refer to one or more specific page numbers. An index helps to speed up SELECT queries and WHERE clauses; however, it slows down data input, with UPDATE and INSERT statements. Indexes can be created or dropped with no effect on the data. Creating an index involves the CREATE INDEX statement, which allows you to name the index, to specify the table and which column or columns to index, and to indicate whether the index is in ascending or descending order. Indexes can also be unique, similar to the UNIQUE constraint, in that the index prevents duplicate entries in the column or combina...
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