IT lexicon Database Index (database)

Index (database)

Database På svenska → Updated: 2026-05-23

Data structure (usually a B-tree) that lets the database find rows without reading the whole table.

Faster SELECT, slower INSERT/UPDATE (the index must be updated). A primary key always gets an index automatically. Don't forget: index on the wrong column = wasted space. EXPLAIN shows what the database actually does.

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