Patterns for Indexing Large Datasets

Searching is one of the fundamental tasks in Computer Science. An intuitive way to search is to do it linearly, that is, start at the beginning of the dataset and continue till the searched-for item is found or nothing is found. However, as the volume of data increases, the response time of linear search is no longer acceptable. Indexes are designed to search through massive datasets quickly. There are a number of different ways of building complex and advanced indexes. Appropriate selection and modification of indexing structures according to dynamic business requirements is crucial for data-intensive applications. In this work, we present a few basic reusable indexing structures. These structures can be used to create advanced and complex indexing structures with lesser effort and time.