Re: Index Insider

Theoretically, that can't be true: block-splitting can happen for ever, and hence Index height growth must be allowed to continue for ever.

Now, the *mechanics* of this might mean that Oracle deals with indexes in such a way that the 'height' can be artificially limited, but if it does so (and frankly, I don't know), it will be via some mechanism that introduces inefficiencies of its own -so the net result will be the same in any case... indexes gradually becoming less and less efficient over time.

Bear in mind that at the end of the day, whatever words we use to describe indexes, the entire structure simply consists of Oracle blocks organised in extents -so 'height' and 'horizontal' don't have any actual physical reality anyway.

But if there's some guru out there who'd care to explain how height can be artifically limited to 4, I'd love to hear how it's done.

Regards
HJR

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<yong321_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message news:8ueg1o$t6q$1_at_nnrp1.deja.com...


> Howard,

>

> Isn't it true that a B-tree index grows horizontally once it reaches

> the maximum height (4 levels I believe)?

>

> Yong Huang

> yong321_at_yahoo.com

>

> you wrote:

>

> ...

> entirely new extent for the Index was acquired.  It will also mean that

> new branch nodes may be required, and hence the height of your Index

> may increase.

> ...

> nodes, height forever rising like an over-eager soufflé... hence the

>

>

> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/

> Before you buy.