I just started experiencing a performance issue when using the console, and I'm looking for some suggestions on how to resolve it.  In the Software Library when trying to view the updates in a software update group, the console displays "Returning list items..." for at least two minutes before actually displaying the list.  The software updates used to display within seconds.  It doesn't matter which group (big or small) I try to view it still takes the same amount of time to load.  Any ideas on what might be causing this problem?  I'm running a single primary site server for my small university.  Configuration Manager 2012 R2 and SQL Server are running on the same server.  Configuration Manager 2012 R2 is currently at patch level CU1.  I noticed there is now a CU4 for ConfigMgr and a SP2 for SQL Server 2012, so maybe I should give CU4 a try.  Anyway, I welcome any and all suggestions.  Thanks...

Is the rebuild indexes maintenance task enabled? Or have you implemented https://ola.hallengren.com/sql-server-index-and-statistics-maintenance.html?

The maintenance task is often not sufficient and thus setting up a SQL maintenance plan to both re-index the DB and rebuild statistics. Here's a nice walk-through for implementing the scripts from Ola: https://stevethompsonmvp.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/optimizing-configmgr-databases/

Thanks guys for the quick replies, and for providing some very helpful information.  One quick question about implementing the scripts from Ola.  Should I still keep the ConfigMgr maintenance task enabled after implementing the Ola solution, or should it be disabled in favor of the Ola solution?  Thanks again!

It won't hurt, but I typically do not leave the built in maintenance task enabled.

That's up to you. (Just make sure that they don't run at the same time)

Thanks guys for the help!  You both provided the information needed to solve my issue.  I followed the instructions here:

https://stevethompsonmvp.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/optimizing-configmgr-databases/

to setup the Ola scripts here:  

https://ola.hallengren.com/sql-server-index-and-statistics-maintenance.html

Now the ConfigMgr console brings back results instantly when viewing the contents of a software update group.  The speed is greatly improved!