Indexing is a critical aspect of database management, enhancing the speed of data retrieval operations on a database table. It functions similarly to an index in a book, allowing the database to find data without having to scan every row in a database table every time a database table is accessed.
In the context of databases, an index is a data structure that improves the speed of data retrieval operations. It achieves this by maintaining a sorted list of records, which allows the database to find the data pointer without having to scan every row in a database table.
Indexes are used to quickly locate data without having to search every row in a database table every time a database table is accessed. They can be created using one or more columns of a database table, providing the basis for both rapid random lookups and efficient access of ordered records.
The primary benefit of indexing is increased speed of data retrieval. By creating an index on a particular database column, the database can quickly find the rows associated with a particular index value. This is especially beneficial in large databases where without an index, a full table scan would be required to find the relevant data, which can be time-consuming.
In addition to faster data retrieval, indexing also provides other benefits:
There are several types of indexing techniques used in databases:
In the next unit, we will delve into how to implement these indexing techniques in Rust.