Synonyms
B+-tree; Index Sequential Access Method (ISAM); R-tree
Definition
Consider a relation R with some numeric attribute A taking values over an (ordered) domain D. A range query retrieves all tuples in R whose attribute A has values in the interval [low, high]. That is, low ≤ R.A ≤ high. To enable fast processing of range selection queries, an access method that maintains order is needed. Such an index has the form of a tree, where each node corresponds to a page. Leaf nodes contain (or index) the actual values of A, while index nodes provide ordered access to the nodes underneath. Examples of tree-based indexing are the B+-tree and the R-tree (for single- and multidimensional ranges, respectively).
Key Points
A major performance goal of a database management system is to minimize the number of I/Os (i.e., blocks or pages transferred) between the disk and main memory. One way to achieve this goal is to minimize the number of I/Os when answering a query. Consider, for example,...
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Recommended Reading
Elmasri RA, Navathe SB. Fundamentals of database systems. 5th ed. Reading: Addisson-Wesley; 2007.
Manolopoulos TY, Tsotras Y, Vassilis J. Advanced database indexing. Dordecht: Kluwer; 1999.
Ramakrishnan R, Gehrke J. Database management systems. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2003.
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Manolopoulos, Y., Theodoridis, Y., Tsotras, V.J. (2018). Tree-Based Indexing. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_755
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