Efficient temporal join processing using indices

Abstract

We examine the problem of processing temporal joins in the presence of indexing schemes. Previous work on temporal joins has concentrated on non-indexed relations which were fully scanned. Given the large data volumes created by the ever increasing time dimension, sequential scanning is prohibitive. This is especially true when the temporal join involves only parts of the joining relations (e.g., a given time interval instead of the whole timeline). Utilizing an index becomes then beneficial as it directs the join to the data of interest. We consider temporal join algorithms for three representative indexing schemes, namely a B+-tree, an R*-tree and a temporal index, the Multiversion B+-tree (MVBT). Both the B+-tree and R*-tree result in simple but not efficient join algorithms because neither index achieves good temporal data clustering. Better clustering is maintained by the MVBT through record copying. Nevertheless, copies can greatly affect the correctness and effectiveness of the join algorithms. We identify these problems and propose efficient solutions and optimizations. An extensive comparison of all index based temporal joins, using a variety of datasets and query characteristics shows that the MVBT based join algorithms are consistently faster. In particular the link-based algorithm has the most robust behavior. In our experiments it showed a ten fold improvement over the R*-tree joins while it was between six and thirty times faster than the B+-tree joins.