How the SNiFF+ Symbol Table API queries the Symbol Table

The diagram on the following page indicates how queries to the Symbol Table are made via the SNiFF+ Symbol Table API. A query goes through a number of stages (or layers), starting from the programmer interface (Symbol Table API) and ending up at the Symbol Table. Some of the important features of the query process are:

- Query operations are cached both at the interface level and at the Symbol Table level. This results in reduced data traffic and faster query processing times.
- Data exchange between the Symbol Table API and the Symbol Table is managed by two protocol layers.
- The Query Engine to the Symbol Table is optimized. This results in a quick availability of query results.