In my previous post I described how correlation between columns may confuse the optimizer and cause it to choose an inefficient plan. I also recommended index covering as the most robust way to optimize queries that involve correlated columns.
However, there are quite a few cases when correlated columns are in different tables. For example, employees' home zipcodes and their cell phone area codes may be strongly correlated. Similarly, car models and kinds of repair work for those cars may be strongly correlated too.
In such cases indexed views come very handy, because they can allow the optimizer to satisfy such queries with one and the same plan, the range scan, regardless of the expected cardinality. Even if the optimizer's estimated cardinality is wildly wrong, it does not matter if the execution plan is still the same range scan.
Of course, indexed views come with a rather hefty price tag,
and in some cases you may have to drop them altogether.