For queries to be efficiently processed in a database, the query optimizer must be presented with an efficient set of indexes for the query workload. Due to the dynamic and complex nature of modern database workloads, database administrators and developers often rely on autonomic tuning tools to determine an optimal set of indexes for the workload. These autonomic tuning tools rely on the use of virtual, or "what-if", indexes. Virtual indexes are limited in the respect that they only provide tuning recommendations given the sizes and distribution of data currently housed in the database. In an active database system, relations and the distribution of data within them are constantly changing at different relative rates. The optimal set of indexes for completing a query will change when related data distributions grow relative to one another past some data threshold. In this paper, we propose a novel extension to the virtual index concept that allows estimating query behavior and index utilization at future points in time. Thus, data thresholds can be proactively detected and the future viability of a given index set can be assessed. The implementation and various applications of this new technology are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.