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description: "sp_helpindex (Transact-SQL)"
title: "sp_helpindex (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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# sp_helpindex (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE [SQL Server SQL Database](../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-asdb.md)]

  Reports information about the indexes on a table or view.  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
  
sp_helpindex [ @objname = ] 'name'  
```  
  
## Arguments  
`[ @objname = ] 'name'`
 Is the qualified or nonqualified name of a user-defined table or view. Quotation marks are required only if a qualified table or view name is specified. If a fully qualified name, including a database name, is provided, the database name must be the name of the current database. *name* is **nvarchar(776)**, with no default.  
  
## Return Code Values  
 0 (success) or 1 (failure)  
  
## Result Sets  
  
|Column name|Data type|Description|  
|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|  
|**index_name**|**sysname**|Index name.|  
|**index_description**|**varchar(210)**|Index description including the filegroup it is located on.|  
|**index_keys**|**nvarchar(2078)**|Table or view columns upon which the index is built.|  
  
 A descending indexed column will be listed in the result set with a minus sign (-) following its name; an ascending indexed column, the default, will be listed by its name alone.  
  
## Remarks  
 If indexes have been set by using the NORECOMPUTE option of UPDATE STATISTICS, that information is included in the **index_description** column.  
  
 **sp_helpindex** exposes only orderable index columns; therefore, it does not expose information about XML indexes or spatial indexes.  
  
## Permissions  
 Requires membership in the **public** role.  
  
## Examples  
 The following example reports on the types of indexes on the `Customer` table.  
  
```  
USE AdventureWorks2012;  
GO  
EXEC sp_helpindex N'Sales.Customer';  
GO  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [Database Engine Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/database-engine-stored-procedures-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.indexes (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-indexes-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.index_columns (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-index-columns-transact-sql.md)   
 [System Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/system-stored-procedures-transact-sql.md)   
 [UPDATE STATISTICS (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/update-statistics-transact-sql.md)