In This Chapter

This chapter describes performance considerations related to tables and indexes, including the following issues:

• Choosing appropriate table and index types
• Specifying table and index properties
• Evaluating the costs of indexes
• Managing disk space for tables and indexes
• Changing tables and indexes
• Updating tables and indexes

The topics discussed in this chapter focus on general table and index issues. This chapter does not discuss database schema design or fragmentation strategies.

For information about constructing an appropriate database schema, refer to the IBM Informix: Database Design and Implementation Guide. For information about choosing table and index fragmentation schemes, see Planning Table and Index Fragmentation.

For information about estimating the size of individual tables and indexes and about index structure, refer to Appendix A. Estimating Table and Index Size.