Modeling B-Tree Insertion Activity

Abstract In this paper we model the root node insertion activity of block split tree structured files such as the B-tree and its variants. Specially, we derive formulas for the events of inserting each entry into a B+ tree root node. The formulas also apply to B-trees and may be modified for other block split tree structured files. Our model of the root node insertion activity enables us to better characterize three aspects of efficient index management—storage space, search time, and reorganization.