How do you create and drop an index in SQL?

Short answer: Creating an Index: CREATE INDEX idx_index_name ON table_name(column_name); Dropping an Index: DROP INDEX idx_index_name ON table_name; In SQL Server, dropping an index: DROP INDEX idx_index_name; -- No need to specify table name.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest adds an index on Orders(CustomerId, CreatedAt) because “my recent orders” is queried constantly.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.