Pinot currently supports the following indexing techniques, where each of them have their own advantages in different query scenarios.
​Forward Index​
Dictionary-encoded forward index with bit compression
Raw value forward index
Sorted forward index with run-length encoding
​Inverted Index​
Bitmap inverted index
Sorted inverted index
​Star-tree Index​
​Bloom Filter​
​Range Index​
​Text Index​
​Geospatial​
​JSON Index​
​
By default, Pinot will use dictionary-encoded forward index
for each column.
If your use case is not site facing with a strict low latency requirement, the inverted index will provide good performance for most use cases. You should start by adding an inverted index and if the query does not perform as per the expectations switch to advanced indices such as sorted column and star-tree index.