Azure SQL Unused Indexes Test

One of the balancing acts of the Azure SQL service is the use of indexes. Too few indexes can cause scans to occur which hurts performance and too many indexes causes overhead for index maintenance during data updates and also a bloated database. Administrators hence need to continuously track which indexes are used and how they are used. Unused indexes in particular can have a negative impact on performance. This is because when the underlying table data is modified, the index may need to be updated also. This takes additional time and can even increase the probability of blocking. To avoid this, administrators need to rapidly isolate the unused indexes and drop them. The Azure SQL Unused Indexes test facilitates this. Using this test, administrators can quickly determine the number of unused indexes in each database, and also understand how badly that index impacts database performance.

Target of the test : A Microsoft Azure SQL database

Agent deploying the test :A remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for the Azure SQL database that is configured for monitoring

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameters	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The host for which the test is to be configured.
Port	The port at which the specified Host listens.
Database Name	Specify the name of the Azure SQL database that is to be monitored.
User Name and Password	Against the User Name and Password parameters, specify the credentials of the user who is vested with DBOWNER rights to the configured Database Name.
Confirm Password	Confirm the specified Password by retyping it here.
SSL	If the Azure SQL database service being monitored is SSL-enabled, then set the SSL flag to Yes. If not, then set the SSL flag to No.
Domain	By default, none is displayed in this text box. If the ‘SQL server and Windows’ authentication has been enabled for the Azure SQL database being monitored, then the Domain parameter can continue to be none. On the other hand, if ‘Windows only’ authentication has been enabled, then, in the Domain text box, specify the Windows domain in which the monitored database exists. Also, in such a case, the User Name and Password that you provide should be that of a 'domain user' with DBOWNER rights to the configured Database Name.
IS NTLMv2	In some Windows networks, NTLM (NT LAN Manager) may be enabled. NTLM is a suite of Microsoft security protocols that provides authentication, integrity, and confidentiality to users. NTLM version 2 (“NTLMv2”) was concocted to address the security issues present in NTLM. By default, this flag is set to No, indicating that NTLMv2 is not enabled by default for the target Microsoft Azure SQL database. Set this flag to Yes if NTLMv2 is enabled for the target database.
Detailed Diagnosis	To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option. The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled: The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Number of Unused Indexes	Indicates the total number of unused indexes currently found in this database.	Number	Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to know which indexes in a database are unused. The detailed diagnosis also reveals how often each such index has been updated, so that you can assess the unnecessary overheads that the database may have incurred in the process.