Resources about implementing a database table

Question

I'd like to understand more how data can be stored on disk so it can be read quickly. I don't want to say database record because I'm not asking how to build a database. My question is closer to how would I build a table.

I'm not asking about indexing. I'm thinking about you have an application that already has some a pointer to a record.

I've been trying to find some references e.g. papers, books, but everything so far focuses on database design as in writing DDL or structures for indexing like B+ trees.

Are there any references that talk about how tables are actually implemented and what are the tradeoffs?

Answer 1

Databases have some issues that "mere mortal" data storage doesn't concern itself with, such as transaction safety and disk failure.

Here are a few classic papers on the topic:

• Astrahan et al (1976), System R: A Relational Approach to Data Base Management, ACM TOMS 1:2, pp 97-137.
• Stonebreaker et al (1976), The Design and Implementation of INGRES, ACM TOMS 1:3, pp 189-222.
• Stonebreaker (1987), The Design of the POSTGRES Storage System, VLDB '87, pp. 289–300.

There are also some good books that cover the relevant topics, such as Database System Implementation by Garcia-Molina, Ullman, and Widom.