An interactive concept flow for how a b-tree index narrows a database search, from its assumptions through the main operation and boundary checks.
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readyA database index is an auxiliary structure that helps find rows without scanning every table page. A B-tree keeps keys in sorted order across pages and uses separator keys to direct a search from the root toward a leaf. The index is valuable when its lookup cost is lower than the work it avoids.
Use the stages in order to explain how a b-tree index narrows a database search. Each stage makes one assumption visible: what the operation promises, what representation it uses, how state changes, which boundary can invalidate a shortcut, and what evidence confirms the result.
For a worked explanation, continue to the topic article and execution trace.
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