https://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1634/using-sql-server-dmvs-to-identify-missing-indexes/ Problem In a previous tip, Deeper insight into unused indexes for SQL Server , we discussed how to identify indexes that have been created but are not being used or used rarely. Now that I know which indexes I can drop, what is the process to identify which indexes I need to create. I can run the Database Tuning Advisor or examine the query plans, but is there any easier way to determine which indexes may be needed? Solution As with a lot of the new features we have seen with SQL Server 2005 and now with SQL Server 2008, Microsoft introduced a few more dynamic management views to also assist with identifying possible index candidates based on query history. The dynamic management views are: sys.dm_db_missing_index_details - Returns detailed information about a missing index sys.dm_db_missing_index_group_stats - Returns summary information about missing index groups sys