SQL Server - how to determine if indexes aren't being used?

Question

I have a high-demand transactional database that I think is over-indexed. Originally, it didn\'t have any indexes at all, so adding some for common processes made a huge differe

Answer 1

If you're in SQL Server 2005/2008, you should use the Database Tuning advisor.

You can specify it to run for a given length of time, and it will collect statistics on what is being used and what isn't. At the end of the run, it will come up with some very useful observations on what to do to optimize your indexing strategy.