Guidelines for Creating a Custom Index

You can create a custom index to improve performance. If you create a custom index, then use the following guidelines:

• If you create a custom table, then the custom table typically requires new indexes.

• Use caution if you create an index. A custom index can result in a situation where objects reference the custom index instead of the predefined indexes. This situation can result in poor performance.

• If at some point you no longer require a custom index that you have defined, then do not delete it from the Siebel repository. Instead, you can deactivate it. Make sure the Inactive property of the index contains a check mark.

• You must thoroughly test any custom index in a test environment before you implement it in a production environment.

• In a DB2 environment, do not create an index that contains a name that is longer than 18 characters.

• For Oracle Database and DB2, you can create function-based indexes. For more information, see Guidelines for Creating a Function-Based Index.