The following features are compared between a btree database and a hashing database.
Feature | Btree | Hash |
---|---|---|
Sorted data | Yes | No |
Direct access | Yes | Yes |
Partial key | Yes | No |
Sequential access | Yes | No |
Delete | Yes | Yes |
Space recovery | Yes | Yes |
Requires reorganization | Infrequently | Infrequently |
Adapted to rapid growth | Yes | No |
Adapted to high turnover | Yes | Yes |
Very large databases | More levels, longer blocks | Yes |
Initial Space | Root record | Entire database |
Space overhead | 33 percent | Space/time tradeoff |
Good for temporary database | Yes | Less suited |
Easy to configure | Yes | Slightly harder |
Signed numeric keys | Sort problem | No problem |
Binary data | Yes | Yes |
Good for Unicode | Yes | Yes |
Accepts encrypted data | Yes | Yes |