Database Indexes: Trigram

Trigram indexes are a particular kind of indexing technique used in databases to enhance full-text search performance. They operate by dividing a text string into smaller units, known as trigrams, and keeping them in an index. By avoiding having to search through the entire text string, this enables the database to discover and extract the desired information more rapidly.

There are several benefits to using trigram indexes in databases:

1. Improved search performance: Trigram indexes allow the database to quickly locate and retrieve the desired information, as it does not have to search through the entire string of text. This can be particularly useful for large databases, where full-text searches can be slow and resource-intensive.
2. Flexibility: Trigram indexes are flexible, as they can be used to search for text within a specific column or across multiple columns. This makes them useful for a wide range of search queries.
3. Support for fuzzy searches: Trigram indexes can be used to support fuzzy searches, which allow for slight variations in the search term. For example, a search for "cat" could also return results for "cats" or "cat's". This can be useful for correcting spelling mistakes or finding similar terms.
4. Reduced index size: Trigram indexes are generally smaller in size than other types of indexes, such as word indexes, which can take up more space. This can be beneficial for databases that need to store large amounts of data.

Overall, trigram indexes are a useful tool for improving the performance of full-text searches in databases. They offer improved search performance, flexibility, support for fuzzy searches, and a reduced index size, making them a valuable asset for many types of databases.

CockroachDB released support for Trigram indexes in thier latest release 22.2 Check it out at thier website by clicking here