Welcome to today’s quick dive into how databases store your tables on disk! Ever wonder what’s really happening behind the scenes when you create a table? Well, it’s more than just rows and columns sitting there.

In reality, your data is broken down into small chunks called *pages*. Think of pages as the building blocks—like pages in a book—that hold your rows. These pages are stored inside *heap files*, which are basically big containers on your disk. Each page has a fixed size, making data retrieval efficient.

But it’s not just about storing raw data. To speed up searches, databases use *indexes*. For example, a *clustered index* sorts data physically on disk according to a key—like the primary key—making lookups super fast. If no primary key exists, some databases create internal row IDs—hidden helpers that keep everything organized.

So, next time you’re working with a database, remember—your data’s journey from your query to the disk involves pages, heap files, and clever indexing. It’s a sophisticated system that makes your apps snappy and reliable. Thanks for listening!