---
id: video/bVPFIhkvZEA
type: video
title: "Business Central: Turn SIFT Indexes on or Off"
summary: "SIFT index management in Business Central: administrators can turn SIFT indexes on or off from the client, extending the index management introduced in 2026 release wave 1. Covers the Index Management page, company-level control, enable/disable timing, and guidance on when to disable."
tier: community
language: en
tags:
  - sift indexes
  - index management
  - database performance
  - aggregate calculations
  - index statistics
  - multi-company environments
  - performance tuning
  - administrators
  - index on-off control
  - workload optimization
  - maintenance cycles
system: platform
review:
  state: reviewed
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  at: "2026-10-07T23:19:03.382Z"
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    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=500s
    title: "Turn SIFT indexes on or off from Business Central client: preview"
    date: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 500
    quote: So get into your preview environment if you have and search for table information.
  - kind: video
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    title: "Index Management page: preview"
    date: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 500
    quote: So get into your preview environment if you have and search for table information.
  - kind: video
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    title: "Business Central: Turn SIFT Indexes on or Off"
    date: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 85
    quote: Shift stand for sum index field technology. The purpose of shift is simple. Make certain aggregate calculations faster.
  - kind: video
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=185s
    title: "Business Central: Turn SIFT Indexes on or Off"
    date: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 185
    quote: it comes up with its tradeoff when records are inserted, modified or deleted. Any table which have enabled shift structures need to be maintained.
  - kind: video
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    title: "Business Central: Turn SIFT Indexes on or Off"
    date: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 238
    quote: The correct question isn't are shift indexes good or bad. The better question is are these shift indexes valuable enough for the particular workload.
  - kind: video
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    title: "Business Central: Turn SIFT Indexes on or Off"
    date: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 359
    quote: In 2026 release one, Microsoft introduced application level management of database index through table information experience.
  - kind: video
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    title: "Business Central: Turn SIFT Indexes on or Off"
    date: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 433
    quote: In business 2026 release wave 2, Microsoft have added that administrator can turn shift indexes on or off whenever they need it
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video_id: bVPFIhkvZEA
channel: yt-saurav
source_name: Saurav Dhyani
url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA
published_at: "2026-09-11T11:43:30.000Z"
duration_s: 1255
captions: derived
audience:
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  - functional consultant
  - developer
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    title: Introduction and SIFT Overview
  - t: 75
    title: What SIFT Does and Performance Trade-offs
  - t: 238
    title: SIFT Technical Implementation and AL Definition
  - t: 348
    title: Index Management in 2026 Release Wave 1
  - t: 433
    title: New SIFT Management in 2026 Release Wave 2
  - t: 557
    title: Index Management Page Features and Statistics
  - t: 704
    title: Multi-Company Index Control and Business Benefits
  - t: 860
    title: Impact on Administrators and Consultants
  - t: 946
    title: Role of Developers in SIFT Index Management
  - t: 1008
    title: Timing of Index Enable and Disable Operations
  - t: 1061
    title: Best Practices for SIFT Index Decisions
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    title: Key Takeaways and Feature Releases
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    title: Closing Remarks and Summary
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  - name: Database index management at application level
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  - name: Immediate index disable with deferred enable
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objects_mentioned:
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  - page table information
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quotes:
  - t: 85
    text: Shift stand for sum index field technology. The purpose of shift is simple. Make certain aggregate calculations faster.
    check: exact
  - t: 185
    text: it comes up with its tradeoff when records are inserted, modified or deleted. Any table which have enabled shift structures need to be maintained.
    check: exact
  - t: 238
    text: The correct question isn't are shift indexes good or bad. The better question is are these shift indexes valuable enough for the particular workload.
    check: exact
  - t: 359
    text: In 2026 release one, Microsoft introduced application level management of database index through table information experience.
    check: exact
  - t: 433
    text: In business 2026 release wave 2, Microsoft have added that administrator can turn shift indexes on or off whenever they need it
    check: exact
---

# Business Central: Turn SIFT Indexes on or Off

> SIFT index management in Business Central: administrators can turn SIFT indexes on or off from the client, extending the index management introduced in 2026 release wave 1. Covers the Index Management page, company-level control, enable/disable timing, and guidance on when to disable.

[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA) · Saurav Dhyani · 2026-09-11 · 20:55 · tier community · reviewed (checked by Opus)

## Overview

The video explains SIFT (sum index field technology), which makes certain aggregate calculations faster but has costs, so it should not be added to every table. It describes how 2026 release wave 1 introduced application-level index management through the table information page, and how 2026 release wave 2 extends this to SIFT indexes.

It demos the Index Management page, which shows index type, whether an index is AL-defined or platform-defined, and statistics such as fragmentation, size, seeks, scans, lookups and last update. It also covers company-level control in multi-company setups, the roles of administrators, consultants and developers, and best practices for deciding whether to disable an index.

## Key points

- SIFT stands for sum index field technology and speeds up certain aggregate calculations, but it has a cost, so its value depends on the workload.
- 2026 release wave 1 added application-level index management through the table information page, without changing AL code.
- 2026 release wave 2 extends this so administrators can turn SIFT indexes on or off from table information or the Index Management page.
- Primary keys, unique keys and platform-defined indexes (such as system ID) cannot be toggled.
- Indexes can be enabled or disabled at company level, so companies in a multi-company environment can have different configurations.
- Disabling an index happens immediately. Enabling is deferred to the next overnight maintenance cycle in tenant local time.
- A SIFT index with low usage should not be disabled automatically; judge it against the particular workload and storage needs.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=0s) Introduction and SIFT Overview
- [1:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=75s) What SIFT Does and Performance Trade-offs
- [3:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=238s) SIFT Technical Implementation and AL Definition
- [5:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=348s) Index Management in 2026 Release Wave 1
- [7:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=433s) New SIFT Management in 2026 Release Wave 2
- [9:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=557s) Index Management Page Features and Statistics
- [11:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=704s) Multi-Company Index Control and Business Benefits
- [14:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=860s) Impact on Administrators and Consultants
- [15:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=946s) Role of Developers in SIFT Index Management
- [16:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=1008s) Timing of Index Enable and Disable Operations
- [17:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=1061s) Best Practices for SIFT Index Decisions
- [18:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=1122s) Key Takeaways and Feature Releases
- [19:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=1194s) Closing Remarks and Summary

## Features

| Feature | Status | At | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn SIFT indexes on or off from Business Central client | generally available (roadmap [Administrators can turn SIFT indexes on/off](../features/573316.md)), demoed | [0:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=11s) | "So get into your preview environment if you have and search for table information." ([8:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=500s)) |
| Index Management page | preview, demoed | [8:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=487s) | "So get into your preview environment if you have and search for table information." ([8:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=500s)) |
| Index type classification | status not stated, demoed | [10:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=639s) |  |
| Company-level index control | status not stated, demoed | [12:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=727s) |  |
| Database index management at application level | status not stated | [5:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=348s) |  |
| Immediate index disable with deferred enable | status not stated, demoed | [16:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=1008s) |  |

A status with a roadmap link comes from the Microsoft 365 roadmap feature this part of the video covers (matched by Haiku; links Opus dropped are not used); other statuses need a status word in the video itself.

## AL objects mentioned

As heard in the captions. A name that matches one object page by exact type and name links to it; the others stay as named.

- table "GL Entry" at [4:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=254s)
- [page 8700 "Table Information"](../objects/page/8700.md) at [19:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=1169s)
- page "index management page" at [19:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=1181s)

Not found in BC28-30: table "GL Entry", page "index management page".

## Quotes

- [1:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=85s) "Shift stand for sum index field technology. The purpose of shift is simple. Make certain aggregate calculations faster."
- [3:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=185s) "it comes up with its tradeoff when records are inserted, modified or deleted. Any table which have enabled shift structures need to be maintained."
- [3:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=238s) "The correct question isn't are shift indexes good or bad. The better question is are these shift indexes valuable enough for the particular workload."
- [5:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=359s) "In 2026 release one, Microsoft introduced application level management of database index through table information experience."
- [7:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=433s) "In business 2026 release wave 2, Microsoft have added that administrator can turn shift indexes on or off whenever they need it"

## Disclaimers in the video

- [8:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPFIhkvZEA&t=500s) preview: Get into your preview environment if you have and search for table information

Presenters (as heard): Sav Dhani.