>>>The execution plan suggests to create an index. So, I create it. Now, when I view the execution plan, I see it does not complain anymore. However, when looking at the execution plan, it does not use the index it suggested. If I remove that index, the execution plan wants it. I create it, it does not use it. What's up here?
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>>Indexes are based upon statistics. If the index is not there, the statistic is missing. Apparently adding the index lets the optimizer conclude not to use the index because the cost is too high. It could not draw that conclusion without the index because then the statistics were missing
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>So the optimizer wants the index so it knows it doesn't want the index.
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>There is something witty here to say about MSSQL being either like a cat or a woman... I can't decide.

Reminds me more of daughter's boss... who wants a feature built, then the whole team tells him it's wrong, it's bad, it won't work as he thinks, but if it works as he says the users won't like it. He then pushes them into a two week cycle of 12 hour workdays, the feature is built, it works as he said but not as he thought and the users hate it. Third of the team leaves and a few others start appearing smartly dressed on the job.