How to Index an Attribute in Active Directory

Indexing an attribute helps queries find objects that have that attribute more quickly and efficiently than if the attribute had no index. The Active Directory directory service index is built automatically by a background thread on the directory server.

Before You Begin

Before you perform the procedure in this topic, be aware that modifying the schema is an advanced operation best performed by experienced programmers and system administrators.

To perform this procedure on a domain controller, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory.

Procedure

To index an attribute in Active Directory

1. Open the Active Directory Schema snap-in.

2. In the left-hand pane, click Attributes.

3. In the right-hand pane, right-click the attribute that you want to index, and then click Properties.

4. Click Index this attribute in the Active Directory and click OK to save the change.

5. Close the Active Directory Schema snap-in.

For More Information

• For more information about indexing an attribute in Active Directory, see "Index an attribute in Active Directory" in the Windows Server 2003 TechCenter (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46790)

• For information about Active Directory Schema Tools and Settings, see the topic "Active Directory Schema Tools and Settings" in Windows Server 2003 Technical Reference (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=4675).