Filesystem and usage¶
SQream DB writes and reads data from disk.
The SQream DB storage directory, sometimes refered to as a storage cluster is a collection of database objects, metadata database, and logs.
Each SQream DB worker and the metadata server must have access to the storage cluster in order to function properly.
Directory organization¶

The cluster root is the directory in which all data for SQream DB is stored.
SQream DB storage cluster directories
databases
¶
The databases directory houses all of the actual data in tables and columns.
Each database is stored as it’s own directory. Each table is stored under it’s respective database, and columns are stored in their respective table.

In the example above, the database named retail
contains a table directory with a directory named 23
.
Tip
To find table IDs, use a catalog query:
master=> SELECT table_name, table_id FROM sqream_catalog.tables WHERE table_name = 'customers';
table_name | table_id
-----------+---------
customers | 23
Each table directory contains a directory for each physical column. An SQL column may be built up of several physical columns (e.g. if the data type is nullable).
Tip
To find column IDs, use a catalog query:
master=> SELECT column_id, column_name FROM sqream_catalog.columns WHERE table_id=23;
column_id | column_name
----------+------------
0 | [email protected]
1 | [email protected]
2 | [email protected]
3 | [email protected]
4 | [email protected]
5 | [email protected]
Each column directory will contain extents, which are collections of chunks.

metadata
or leveldb
¶
SQream DB’s metadata is an embedded key-value store, based on LevelDB. LevelDB helps SQream DB ensure efficient storage for keys, handle atomic writes, snapshots, durability, and automatic recovery.
The metadata is where all database objects are stored, including roles, permissions, database and table structures, chunk mappings, and more.
temp
¶
The temp
directory is where SQream DB writes temporary data.
The directory to which SQream DB writes temporary data can be changed to any other directory on the filesystem. SQream recommends remapping this directory to a fast local storage to get better performance when executing intensive larger-than-RAM operations like sorting. SQream recommends an SSD or NVMe drive, in mirrored RAID 1 configuration.
If desired, the temp
folder can be redirected to a local disk for improved performance, by setting the tempPath
setting in the configuration file.