Why doesn Panorama use indexes?
You might be surprised to know that when you ask a disk based database to search or sort it does not actually search or sort the data itself. Instead it searches or sorts a complex structure it has built called an “index.” An index is a special directory that contains hints for finding items quickly. A database index performs much the same function as an index at the end of a textbook. Instead of searching the entire book page-by-page you find the entry in the index and then jump directly to the correct page. Disk based database programs use a similar index system to allow them to search or sort a large database in a second or two instead of in minutes or hours. Unlike other database software, Panorama doesn’t use indexes. Because RAM is so fast, Panorama can actually perform searches or sorts using the brute force approach, the equivalent of searching a book by reading all of the pages (but very, very quickly). Essentially Panorama is the ultimate speed reader. Although indexes can he
