Comparison with Other Indexing Methods
ISAM can be related to B-trees and B+-trees, which are other types of indexing methods, for a comparison that demonstrates its shortcomings and its strong points in turn.
B-Tree and B+-Tree
- B-trees and B+trees, conflict-free,in order to facilitate the optimal operation by adjusting their structure in real time in response to inserting, deleting and updating.
- B+ trees have all records stored at the leaf level and make a join linked list of leaf nodes. As a result, they support operations like range queries more efficiently.
- By contrast, ISAM is a static system that demands regular organizational refinement so as to achieve top performance.
Hash Indexing
- The Hash indexing mechanism may provide effective access for the equality searches, however, for range queries it is less effective.
- In addition to providing equality and range queries capabilities, the hierarchical index structure of ISAM has a key characteristic: increased flexibility.
ISAM in Database
Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM) is one of the critical indexing approaches in database management, which enhances fast data retrieval and assures an easy way of managing the database. This article is going to take a look at the underlying theme, makeup, performance, benefits, faults, and different uses of ISAM.