1. A method comprising: receiving a first sequence of data values; preprocessing the first sequence for pattern matching, by: generating by a compressor engine a second sequence of data values that is based on the first sequence of values; by replacing an original subsequence of data values in the first sequence with a shorter subsequence of data values that corresponds to the same transition vector in the first sequence, with the second sequence having fewer data values than the first sequence and subsequences in the first sequence that include data values that match in the first sequence of data values, a first pattern of the one or more patterns is represented in the second sequence with at least the data values that match the first pattern; and sending the second sequence to a pattern matcher finite state machine associated with the one or more patterns as the original subsequence.