Index Optimize is Ola Hallengren’s IndexOptimize procedure, which rebuilds or reorganises indexes only when they pass a fragmentation threshold and updates the statistics that have changed. It’s what I use for weekly index and statistics maintenance instead of a maintenance plan. Microsoft’s guide to optimising index maintenance covers the background.

Installing Index Optimize

This post used to hold a 2016 copy of Ola Hallengren’s IndexOptimize procedure. Ola keeps his Maintenance Solution up to date (version 2026-09-12 at the time of writing), so always install the current version from his site rather than an old copy:

• SQL Server Index and Statistics Maintenance – documentation and examples
• Downloads – MaintenanceSolution.sql installs IndexOptimize together with CommandExecute and CommandLog, which it needs
• GitHub – the same scripts, with release notes

Running Index Optimize

Once installed, this is how I run it from a SQL Agent job step (rebuild or reorganise fragmented indexes and update statistics that have changed):

EXECUTE dbo.IndexOptimize
    @Databases = 'USER_DATABASES',
    @FragmentationLow = NULL,
    @FragmentationMedium = 'INDEX_REORGANIZE,INDEX_REBUILD_ONLINE,INDEX_REBUILD_OFFLINE',
    @FragmentationHigh = 'INDEX_REBUILD_ONLINE,INDEX_REBUILD_OFFLINE',
    @FragmentationLevel1 = 5,
    @FragmentationLevel2 = 30,
    @UpdateStatistics = 'ALL',
    @OnlyModifiedStatistics = 'Y',
    @LogToTable = 'Y';

The job that runs it is in the Index_job post. To check whether statistics are the real problem rather than fragmentation, see Reading Execution Plans.

From my SQL Server DBA handbook.