Why Accurate Index History Matters and How Database Health Monitor’s New Enhancements Help You See the Full Picture
Improved Index Usage Tracking in Database Health Monitor
Many SQL Servers reboot on a regular cadence, and most monitoring tools only show index usage since the last restart, which means that an index used heavily at the end of the month or once a quarter can appear unused for most of the year. This leads to dangerous assumptions and unnecessary index changes.
In Database Health Monitor version three, we have introduced an important enhancement: index usage is now stored directly in the DBHealthHistory database. With this change, DBAs can finally see true historical index usage even across restarts, offering a more accurate understanding of how indexes perform over long periods of time. This is especially valuable for workloads where seasonal, monthly or annual queries play a significant role.
The update also adds the ability to switch between historic and real-time index usage in reports such as the most used, unused and inefficient index views. This dual perspective allows DBAs to evaluate indexes during Performance Tuning sessions using real-time data, while still retaining long-term historical context for strategic decisions.
We invite you to try these enhancements in the latest version of Database Health Monitor. Additionally, a reminder that Stedman Solutions‘ SQL Server Managed Services can help teams interpret these findings, tune indexes safely and keep SQL Server running optimally year-round. If you would like expert guidance or ongoing SQL Server care, please connect with us at Stedman Solutions.
