4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more first values comprises a key of the second key-value family.
1. A method comprising: receiving a search parameter with a computer that is configured with an improved search mechanism; deriving, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, a search criterion from the search parameter and using the search criterion to obtain one or more first values from a first-key value family of a key-value data repository stored in a data storage device that is coupled to the computer; obtaining based on the one or more first values, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, one or more compressed values from a second key-value family of the key-value data repository; wherein the key-value data repository comprises a cluster of a plurality of computing nodes: wherein at least one key of the first key-value family is mastered by at least one node of the plurality nodes and at least one other key of the first key-value family is mastered by at least one other node of the plurality of nodes; wherein each and every node of the cluster of nodes is configured to obtain values for any key of the first key-value family; uncompressing, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, the one or more compressed values to produce one or more uncompressed values; identifying, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, based on the one or more first values to identify one or more portions of the one or more uncompressed values; returning, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, the one or more portions of the one or more uncompressed values as search results.