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B-tree variants

B+-tree vs. B-tree

B+-tree advantages

  • Key-only is smaller than (key, value). Often a lot smaller.
  • B+-tree internal nodes store keys only, so more of them fit on a page.
  • So the branching factor is higher.

Example:

  • 4k pages
  • 8-byte key
  • 8-byte value
  • 70% average storage utilization: 2867 bytes per page

Branching factors:

  • B-tree: 2867 / (8 + 8) = 179
  • B+-tree: 2867 / 8 = 358

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