The bulk index join: a generic approach to processing non-equijoins

Abstract

Presents a new algorithm called the 'bulk index join' that can be applied to a broad class of non-equijoins. Similar to the well-known index nested-loops join algorithm, the bulk index join probes the records of the outer relation against the inner relation by using a pre-existing index structure. Like the index nested-loops join, our algorithm is generic in that any tree-based index structure supporting the join predicate can be used. Moreover, the designer of a new index structure might use our generic code to extend the functionality of the index structure without any additional effort. Our experience indicates that the bulk index join is a generic algorithm that performs very fast, and that its implementation is simple enough to be of immediate practical value.