modify-an-index.md

title	Modify an Index
description	Modify an Index
author	MikeRayMSFT
ms.author	mikeray
ms.date	02/17/2017
ms.service	sql
ms.subservice	table-view-index
ms.topic	how-to
ms.custom	ignite-2025
helpviewer_keywords	indexes [SQL Server], modifying modifying indexes index changes [SQL Server]
monikerRange	=azuresqldb-current || >=sql-server-2016 || =fabric-sqldb

Modify an Index

[!INCLUDE SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance FabricSQLDB]

This topic describes how to modify an index in [!INCLUDEssnoversion] by using [!INCLUDEssManStudioFull] or [!INCLUDEtsql].

Important

Indexes created as the result of a PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraint cannot be modified by using this method. Instead, the constraint must be modified.

In This Topic

• To modify an index, using:

  SQL Server Management Studio

  Transact-SQL

Using SQL Server Management Studio

To modify an index

1. In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of the [!INCLUDEssDEnoversion] and then expand that instance.

2. Expand Databases, expand the database in which the table belongs, and then expand Tables.

3. Expand the table in which the index belongs and then expand Indexes.

4. Right-click the index that you want to modify and then click Properties.

5. In the Index Properties dialog box, make the desired changes. For example, you can add or remove a column from the index key, or change the setting of an index option.

To modify index columns

1. To add, remove, or change the position of an index column, select the General page from the Index Properties dialog box.

Using Transact-SQL

To modify an index

The following example drops and re-creates an existing index on the ProductID column of the Production.WorkOrder table in the AdventureWorks database by using the DROP_EXISTING option. The options FILLFACTOR and PAD_INDEX are also set.

:::code language="sql" source="codesnippet/tsql/modify-an-index_1.sql":::

The following example uses ALTER INDEX to set several options on the index AK_SalesOrderHeader_SalesOrderNumber.

:::code language="sql" source="codesnippet/tsql/modify-an-index_2.sql":::

To modify index columns

1. To add, remove, or change the position of an index column, you must drop and recreate the index.

See Also

CREATE INDEX (Transact-SQL)
ALTER INDEX (Transact-SQL)
INDEXPROPERTY (Transact-SQL)
sys.indexes (Transact-SQL)
sys.index_columns (Transact-SQL)
Set Index Options
Rename Indexes