9. A method comprising: receiving, with a computer that is configured with an improved search mechanism, a search parameter and determining a first search criterion and one or more second search criteria based upon the search parameter; obtaining, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, based on the first search criterion and the second search criteria, one or more first values from a first-key value family of a key-value data repository of a data storage device that is coupled to the computer; obtaining, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, based on the one or more first values, one or more second values from a second key-value family of the key-value data repository; obtaining, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, based on the one or more second values, one or more compressed values from a third 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; returning, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, one or more uncompressed portions of the one or more compressed values as search results.
9. A method comprising: receiving, with a computer that is configured with an improved search mechanism, a search parameter and determining a first search criterion and one or more second search criteria based upon the search parameter; obtaining, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, based on the first search criterion and the second search criteria, one or more first values from a first-key value family of a key-value data repository of a data storage device that is coupled to the computer; obtaining, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, based on the one or more first values, one or more second values from a second key-value family of the key-value data repository; obtaining, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, based on the one or more second values, one or more compressed values from a third 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; returning, with the computer and the improved search mechanism, one or more uncompressed portions of the one or more compressed values as search results. 12. The method of claim 9 , wherein using the first search criterion and the second search criteria to obtain the one or more first values comprises selecting all values of a key of the first key-value family that equals the first search criterion where the selected values satisfy the second search criteria.