# Useful indexes can use qualifiers

Matching index scans can use qualifiers that further restrict the result set. Remember that a WHERE clause that contains at least one optimizable predicate is optimizable. Nonoptimizable predicates can be useful in other ways.

Consider the following query:

    SELECT *
    FROM FLIGHTS
    WHERE orig_airport < 'BBB'
    AND orig_airport <> 'AKL'

The second predicate is not optimizable, but the first predicate is. The second predicate becomes a qualification for which Derby evaluates the entries in the index as it traverses it.

- The following comparisons are valid qualifiers:
  - =
  - <
  - <=
  - >
  - >=
  - IS NULL
  - BETWEEN
  - LIKE
  - <>
  - IS NOT NULL
- The qualifier's reference to the column does not have to be a simple column reference; you can put the column in an expression.
- The qualifier's column does not have to be the first column in the index and does not have to be contiguous with the first column in the index.

Parent topic: Index use and access paths
Related concepts
What is an index?
What's optimizable?
Covering indexes
When a table scan Is better
Indexes have a cost for inserts, updates, and deletes