In summary, accounts contain files. Files use dictionaries to describe how the data is arranged. Files arrange data in items. Items are made up of attributes. Items that are stored in a file can be accessed:
directly using the item-ID to access an item.
sequentially in a pseudo random hashing sequence.
using any dictionary-defined field in sorted sequence.
using indexes that are currently available from within FlashBASIC, AQL, and Update Processor.
The direct file access technique, using the item-ID to locate the item within the file, is an efficient method of locating data and lends itself to the online nature of the D3 system. The system overhead required to access an item using direct file access is essentially constant, independent of the actual file size.
See Also