Arrays

How arrays serve as a foundational data structure for TileDB-VCF.

TileDB-VCF builds upon the TileDB Embedded array engine. The following figure shows the array data model.

Illustrations of dense and sparse arrays and the different aspects of the TileDB data model for each array type. Illustrations of dense and sparse arrays and the different aspects of the TileDB data model for each array type.

TileDB-VCF models population VCF data as a 3D sparse array, which is explained in detail in the Data Model section.

TileDB-VCF hides a lot of the underlying array magic, but you can visit the Arrays section for more information about arrays, their internal mechanics, and their applications.