Index both sides of the relationship for join speed.
Section: Design notes
Index bridge-table foreign keys
sql
sql
CREATE INDEX idx_user_roles_user_id ON user_roles(user_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_user_roles_role_id ON user_roles(role_id);Explanation
Bridge tables are heavily joined and benefit from focused indexes.
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Same sheet · prioritizing Design notes
Join through a bridge table
Resolve many-to-many relationships with two joins.
Aggregate across a many-to-many relationship
Count related entities after joining through the bridge.
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