Online Index Build
Online Index Build governs concurrent indexing, shaping system behavior under specific failure modes and workloads.
Definition
Online Index Build is a design property concerning concurrent indexing. It defines how the system behaves under specific conditions — what guarantees hold, what trade-offs apply, and how the mechanism interacts with related techniques. The property is only meaningful when its preconditions are met; outside those conditions it provides no benefit and may add cost.
Context and scope
Apply Online Index Build when designing systems where concurrent indexing matters. It is most useful under partial failure, high load, or correctness requirements. Pair it with observability to verify the claimed behavior in production. Do not assume the property holds without testing the specific configuration and workload.
Common misconceptions
- Online Index Build eliminates all problems in its domain — it only bounds or shapes specific failure modes, not all pathologies.
- Online Index Build is free once you adopt the right tool — the property depends on configuration, workload, and failure pattern, not the product label alone.
Anti-patterns
- Enabling Online Index Build without measuring its cost in latency, availability, or operational complexity under production-like conditions.
- Assuming Online Index Build composes safely with other guarantees — combining mechanisms can introduce new failure modes or negate benefits.
Related concepts
Authoritative source
What it is
Online Index Build is a design property concerning concurrent indexing. It defines how the system behaves under specific conditions — what guarantees hold, what trade-offs apply, and how the mechanism interacts with related techniques. The property is only meaningful when its preconditions are met; outside those conditions it provides no benefit and may add cost.
When to use
Apply Online Index Build when designing systems where concurrent indexing matters. It is most useful under partial failure, high load, or correctness requirements. Pair it with observability to verify the claimed behavior in production. Do not assume the property holds without testing the specific configuration and workload.
Common misconceptions
- Online Index Build eliminates all problems in its domain — it only bounds or shapes specific failure modes, not all pathologies.
- Online Index Build is free once you adopt the right tool — the property depends on configuration, workload, and failure pattern, not the product label alone.
Anti-patterns to avoid
- Enabling Online Index Build without measuring its cost in latency, availability, or operational complexity under production-like conditions.
- Assuming Online Index Build composes safely with other guarantees — combining mechanisms can introduce new failure modes or negate benefits.
Related concepts
- Online Schema Change (online-schema-change)
- Covering Index (covering-index)