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How to: Rename Indexes

New indexes are automatically given system-defined names based on the database table name. If you create multiple indexes on a table, the index names are appended with "_1," "_2," and so on. You can rename an index as long as index names are unique within the table.

Note

When you create a primary key or unique constraint for a table, an index with the same name as the constraint is automatically created for the table. Because index names must be unique for a table, you cannot create or rename an index to have the same name as the primary key or unique constraint for the table.

Note

Your computer might show different names or locations for some of the Visual Studio user interface elements in the following instructions. The Visual Studio edition that you have and the settings that you use determine these elements. For more information, see Visual Studio Settings.

To rename an index

  1. In Server Explorer, select the table with the index you want to rename.

  2. From the Database menu, click Open Table Definition.

  3. From the Table Designer menu, click Indexes/Keys.

  4. Select the index from the Selected Primary/Unique Key or Index list.

  5. In the grid, click Name and type a new name into the text box.

    Your changes are saved to the database when you save the table.

See Also

Other Resources

Working with Indexes