PostgreSQL BRIN index (Block Range Index)

See also

• https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/brin.html

• https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/brin-intro.html

Introduction

BRIN stands for Block Range Index .

BRIN is designed for handling very large tables in which certain columns have some natural correlation with their physical location within the table.

A block range is a group of pages that are physically adjacent in the table; for each block range, some summary info is stored by the index.

For example, a table storing a store’s sale orders might have a date column on which each order was placed, and most of the time the entries for earlier orders will appear earlier in the table as well; a table storing a ZIP code column might have all codes for a city grouped together naturally.