$HYPERCORE_CAP is the hybrid row-columnar storage engine in $TIMESCALE_DB used by $HYPERTABLEs. Traditional databases force a trade-off between fast inserts (row-based storage) and efficient analytics (columnar storage). $HYPERCORE_CAP eliminates this trade-off, allowing real-time analytics without sacrificing transactional capabilities.
$HYPERCORE_CAP dynamically stores data in the most efficient format for its lifecycle:
- Row-based storage for recent data: the most recent chunk (and possibly more) is always stored in the $ROWSTORE, ensuring fast inserts, updates, and low-latency single record queries. Additionally, row-based storage is used as a writethrough for inserts and updates to columnar storage.
- Columnar storage for analytical performance: chunks are automatically compressed into the $COLUMNSTORE, optimizing storage efficiency and accelerating analytical queries.
Unlike traditional columnar databases, $HYPERCORE allows data to be inserted or modified at any stage, making it a flexible solution for both high-ingest transactional workloads and real-time analytics—within a single database.