Minimizing index maintenance costs for database storage regions using hybrid zone maps and indices

摘要

Elements of a database object are stored among a plurality of different storage regions, each storage region being associated with a first value range indicating upper and lower range values for element values within that storage region. An index is generated and maintained for one or more second value ranges that include range values that comprise subsets of the first value ranges. A query is processed that includes a query value and one or more storage regions to be read is determined by using one of the index and the first value ranges based on the query value relative to a second value range.