AI engineering glossary · SQL databases
What is index?
Index: A separate structure that lets the database find rows by column value without scanning the whole table, like a book's index. It speeds up reads but takes space and slows writes, since it must be updated with each change.
Index: an example
An index on customers(email) makes looking up one email among millions almost instant.
Related terms
More SQL databases terms
Where you learn it
Index is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.