When to add what indexes in a table in Rails

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I have a question about Rails database.

  • Should I add "index" to all the foreign keys like "xxx_id"?
  • Should I add "index" to the automatically created "id" column?
  • Should I add "index(unique)" to the automatically created "id" column?

  • If I add index to two foreign keys at once (add_index (:users, [:category, :state_id]), what happens? How is this different from adding the index for each key?

    class CreateUsers < ActiveRecord::Migration
      def self.up
        create_table :users do |t|
          t.string :name
          t.integer :category_id 
          t.integer :state_id
          t.string :email
          t.boolean :activated
          t.timestamps
        end
      # Do I need this? Is it meaningless to add the index to the primary key?
      # If so, do I need :unique => true ?
      add_index :users, :id 
      # I don't think I need ":unique => true here", right?
      add_index :users, :category_id # Should I need this?
      add_index :users, :state_id # Should I need this?
      # Are the above the same as the following?
      add_index (:users, [:category, :state_id])
      end
    end
    

Great answer so far. Additional question.

  • I should add "index with unique" for xxx_id, right?
3 Answers
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