SQL SERVER - have to wait too long for a response!!!

[ssibo]

I have a very big database. One of my tables has nearly 5.000.000 records. When I do a query I have to wait more than 30 minutes before having the whole response.
I've defined indexes but It's more and more slower.
Anyone experiencing the same? How can I do?

 

[tlbroadbent]

How many rows are you attempting to return to client? Does your query have any selection criteria? Indexes don't help if you are choosing all the rows.

If you have criteria, are you doing aggregation - Group By, Sum, Averrages, etc. These can be slow.

How fast is the network? What tools are you using to access SQL Server? How fast is the client? How memory is available on SQL Server and on the client?

There are many reasons for slow queries. I can only guess at problems without viewing the query and table structure. Post your query and table structure here if you want more help.

Check the following for help in improving SQL performance.

http://tlbroadbent.home.attbi.com/sql_performance.htm

Terry L. Broadbent - DBA
Computing Links:

http://tlbroadbent.home.attbi.com/prog.htm

faq183-874 contains "Suggestions for Getting Quick and Appropriate Answers" to your questions.