METHOD FOR EFFICIENTLY SEARCHING FREE SPACE IN A RELATIONAL DATABASE

摘要

A method for efficiently searching free space in a relational database management system. The method limits the search to a finite number of space map pages in the free space map. If the configured number of space map pages in the free space map are searched and a page with free space is not found for the row, the row is inserted on the last page, or if no space is available on the last page a new page is created and the row is inserted on the new page. New rows are then appended until some predefined amount of space is filled before a search is done again. As a result, insertion of a row into the database management system does not incur the worst-case cost of searching the entire free space map.