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Abstract

A database having fixed length records stored together in record number order and an index structure for the database. The index structure comprises a separate index for each searchable field of the records. For purposes of indexing, the records are logically divided into fine slices of 8,000 records each, and the fine slices are grouped into coarse slices of 4,000 fine slices each. The indexes include fine and coarse keys, each of which corresponds to a particular data value and a particular fine or coarse slice. Associated with each key is a link that is used to determine which records contain the data value. For the fine keys, the link includes a pointer to a bit vector that has a single bit for each of the records within the fine slice associated with the key. For the coarse keys, the link includes a pointer to a bit vector that has a single bit for each of the fine slices contained in the coarse slice. The coarse bit vector comprises two bit vectors, one that identifies which of the fine slices within the coarse slice contains any records having the data value and one that identifies which fine slices, if any, contain the data value in every one of its records. The keys are stored in a B-tree in order of a unique key value so that they are processed in record number order and the resulting list of records for any query is generated in record number order.

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