A novel indexing structure-the join index hierarchy-is proposed to handle the "gotos on disk" problem in object-oriented query processing. The method constructs a hierarchy of join indices and transforms a sequence of pointer-chasing operations into a simple search in an appropriate join index file, and thus accelerates navigation in object-oriented databases. The method extends the join index structure studied in relational and spatial databases, supports both forward and backward navigation among objects and classes, and localizes update propagations in the hierarchy. Our performance study shows that a partial join index hierarchy outperforms several other indexing mechanisms in object-oriented query processing.
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