The Power of Indexing

Abstract

Libraries are a good example of a database because they are designed to make the search and retrieval of books easier and more efficient, as mentioned in Chapter 1, “Where Did Databases Come From?” In this chapter we are going to use libraries to illustrate how indexing works. My own personal library is a modest affair of a couple hundred books crammed onto shelves in no particular order. I know, approximately, where any book I might need is located. If I don’t know where a book is, it doesn’t take too long to scan all of the titles to find it.

Knowing you have the book you want does you no good if you can’t find where you have put it. —Anonymous