Understand where your data lives and what it costs
Connect the logical tree to its physical files, backing store, and memory footprint. Then choose compression and cache settings with a clear view of their scope.
Sorted records become block-addressable files, indexes, and reusable parts.
Providers own file bytes. Segments, caches, and readers retain working memory.
Compression and retention exchange CPU, I/O, storage space, and RAM.
Disk segment files
Recognize data, headers, sparse indexes, and multipart descriptors. Understand reuse, inspection, and file lifetime.
Read the physical layoutFile stream providers
Choose local or RAM-backed files, reopen an in-memory tree correctly, and define custom storage contracts.
Choose where files liveMemory usage
Account for mutable records, merge backlogs, sampled values, block caches, and iterator lifetimes.
Budget retained memoryCompression
Configure WAL and disk profiles independently and measure block size, cache costs, and workload-specific results.
Compare compression choices