With database support for ST_GEOMETRY and/or native spatial objects, geometries are just
another attribute type. It is a potentially disastrous design flaw to split your business table
into spatial and non-spatial components and join the tables during every query.
The biggest performance risk for large spatial tables is spatial fragmentation. This occurs when
features are unorganized (or organized by something other than geo-location, like timestamp),
producing what essentially becomes a full table scan to access all the features in a small
geographic region. The hallmark of spatially fragmented data is when rendering produces a
random-seeming draw order, vice filling from one side of the field of view to another. There
is no silver bullet to solve spatial fragmentation, but there are techniques available to moderate
its influence.
The best way to get non-Forums access to my time is through your marketing representitive.
I am fully allocated to project work at the moment, but there are others within Esri who also
have practical experience with large databases, and a marketing rep might be able to organize
a virtual consultant from varied resources.
- V