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Indexing in DBMS

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12 views

Indexing in DBMS

Uploaded by

AbritiPaul
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Indexing in DBMS?

Indexing is a technique for improving database performance by reducing


the number of disk accesses necessary when a query is run. An index is a
form of data structure. It’s used to swiftly identify and access data and
information present in a database table.

Structure of Index
We can create indices using some columns of the database.

 The search key is the database’s first column, and it contains a duplicate or
copy of the table’s candidate key or primary key. The primary key values are
saved in sorted order so that the related data can be quickly accessible.
 The data reference is the database’s second column. It contains a group of
pointers that point to the disk block where the value of a specific key can be
found.

Methods of Indexing

Ordered Indices
To make searching easier and faster, the indices are frequently
arranged/sorted. Ordered indices are indices that have been sorted.
Example

Let’s say we have a table of employees with thousands of records, each of


which is ten bytes large. If their IDs begin with 1, 2, 3,…, etc., and we are
looking for the student with ID-543:

 We must search the disk block from the beginning till it reaches 543 in the
case of a DB without an index. After reading 543*10=5430 bytes, the DBMS
will read the record.
 We will perform the search using indices in the case of an index, and the
DBMS would read the record after it reads 542*2 = 1084 bytes, which is
significantly less than the prior example.

Primary Index
 Primary indexing refers to the process of creating an index based on the
table’s primary key. These primary keys are specific to each record and
establish a 1:1 relationship between them.
 The searching operation is fairly efficient because primary keys are stored in
sorted order.
 There are two types of primary indexes: dense indexes and sparse indexes.

Dense Index
Every search key value in the data file has an index record in the dense
index. It speeds up the search process. The total number of records
present in the index table and the main table are the same in this case. It
requires extra space to hold the index record. A pointer to the actual
record on the disk and the search key are both included in the index
records.

Sparse Index
Only a few items in the data file have index records. Each and every item
points to a certain block. Rather than pointing to each item in the main
database, the index, in this case, points to the records that are present in
the main table that is in a gap.

Clustering Index
 An ordered data file can be defined as a clustered index. Non-primary key
columns, which may or may not be unique for each record, are sometimes
used to build indices.
 In this situation, we’ll join two or more columns to acquire the unique value
and generate an index out of them to make it easier to find the record. A
clustering index is a name for this method.
 Records with comparable properties are grouped together, and indices for
these groups are constructed.

Example

Assume that each department in a corporation has numerous employees.


Assume we utilise a clustering index, in which all employees with the
same Dept_ID are grouped together into a single cluster, and index
pointers refer to the cluster as a whole. Dept_Id is a non-unique key in this
case.
Because one disk block is shared by records from various clusters, the
previous structure is a little unclear. It is referred to as a better strategy
when we employ distinct disk blocks for separate clusters.
Secondary Index
When using sparse indexing, the size of the mapping grows in sync with
the size of the table. These mappings are frequently stored in primary
memory to speed up address fetching. The secondary memory then
searches the actual data using the address obtained through mapping.
Fetching the address becomes slower as the mapping size increases. The
sparse index will be ineffective in this scenario, so secondary indexing is
used to solve this problem.

Another level of indexing is introduced in secondary indexing to reduce


the size of the mapping. The massive range for the columns is chosen first
in this method, resulting in a small mapping size at the first level. Each
range is then subdivided into smaller groups. Because the first level’s
mapping is kept in primary memory, fetching the addresses is faster. The
second-level mapping, as well as the actual data, are kept in secondary
memory (or hard disk).

Example

 In case we want to find the record for roll 111 in the diagram, it will look for
the highest item in the first level index that is equal to or smaller than 111. At
this point, it will get a score of 100.
 Then it does max (111) <= 111 in the second index level and obtains 110.
Using address 110, it now navigates to the data block and begins searching
through each record until it finds 111.
 In this method, a search is carried out in this manner. In the same way, you
can insert, update, or delete data.

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