Optimizing file management with Delta Engine
Delta Engine allows improved management of files in Delta Lake, yielding better query speed, thanks to optimization in the layout of the stored data. Delta Lake does this by using two types of algorithms: bin-packing and Z-Ordering. The first algorithm is useful when merging small files into larger ones and is more efficient in handling the larger ones. The second algorithm is borrowed from mathematical analysis and is applied to the underlying structure of the data to map multiple dimensions into one dimension while preserving the locality of the data points.
In this section, we will learn how these algorithms work, see how to implement them using commands that act on our data, and how to handle snapshots of data thanks to the time travel feature.
It is good to remember that although there are automatic optimizations that take place when we use Delta Lake, most of these optimizations do not occur automatically, and some of them must...
