Adaptable Pointer Swizzling Strategies in Object Bases

In this paper we will classify and evaluate different approaches to optimizing the access to main memory resident persistent objects---techniques which are commonly referred to as "pointer swizzling ". To speed up the access along inter-object references, the persistent pointers are transformed (swizzled) into main memory pointers (addresses). We will evaluate four different pointer swizzling techniques allowing the displacement of objects from the buffer before the end of an application and contrast them with the performance of an object manager using no pointer swizzling. Our quantitative evaluation proved that there is no one superior strategy for all application profiles. Consequently, we will suggest an adaptable system that uses the full range of pointer swizzling strategies. 1 Introduction Object-oriented database systems are emerging as the next generation of database technology--- especially for advanced, so-called "non-standard" applications, e.g., CAD/CAM. Despite their sup..