Single-column index
A single-column index is a database index whose key is derived from one field or column and whose entries are organized by its values.
Just Use Postgres!
A single-column index is a database index whose key is derived from one table column.
- How it is used
- Optimizes searches, filters, ordering, and selected time-series or queue operations involving one table column.
- How deep it goes
- Explains creation, B-tree and hash behavior, execution plans, and planner trade-offs, while deferring broader composite-index design.
- Examples
- Uses game scores and champion titles, time-series timestamps, and message-queue creation times as concrete indexing cases.
- What you can do after
- Apply PostgreSQL CREATE INDEX and EXPLAIN to create indexes and verify whether queries use them effectively.
MongoDB 8.0 in Action, Third Edition
A single-field index is an index whose key consists of one document field and whose entries are ordered by that field's values.
- How it is used
- Speeds frequent queries on one MongoDB document field and can support filtering and sorting on that field.
- How deep it goes
- Walks through index creation and execution-plan checks, but does not detail the index’s internal storage structure.
- Examples
- Uses a movies.runtime index with getIndexes() and explain("executionStats"), plus a date-based transactions TTL index.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via mongosh createIndex() and diagnose its use with getIndexes() and explain("executionStats").
Read how MongoDB 8.0 in Action, Third Edition explains single-column index →
Related concepts
- indexingkind of · Indexing is the organization or use of positions, keys, or lookup structures to identify and retrieve selected data or elements.
- composite indexcontrasts with · A composite index is a database index whose key contains multiple fields or columns, ordered according to the index definition.
- TTL indexincludes · A TTL index is a MongoDB index that automatically expires and removes documents according to an indexed date field and expiration interval.
- B-treeuses · A B-tree is a balanced multiway search tree that maintains ordered keys and supports efficient searching, insertion, deletion, and sequential access.
- PostgreSQLproduced by · PostgreSQL is an open-source object-relational database management system that implements SQL and supports transactional data storage and extensibility.
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