> In theory integers make better index keys because they are more susceptible
> to prefix compression. An index key in Firebird throws away all the bytes
> at the beginning that match the first bytes of the previous key, but preserves
> everything else. So if you have a key with immutable parts, you'll get a better
> index with the immutable parts first, the slowly changes parts next, and
> the rapidly changing bits last.

Thanks, Ann. It's nice to get an understanding of how the innards work. It makes perfect sense.