Encoding and decoding files for a document store

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a database server and from a user device, a database query related to at least a portion of a plurality of stored documents;
• retrieving, by the database server and based on the database query, one or more documents from the plurality of stored documents;
• generating, by the database server, a server-side dictionary for the one or more documents, wherein the server-side dictionary includes a plurality of content from the plurality of stored documents, and wherein each of the plurality of content is mapped to a reference value identifying a corresponding content contained in the plurality of stored documents to encode and/or decode, the server-side dictionary further including a slice identifier identifying a slice storing at least a portion of the corresponding content and, for each of the plurality of content, a range of values for the corresponding content to enable searching the range of values rather than the database server;
• generating, based on the server-side dictionary, a client-side dictionary;
• determining, by the database server, whether a first size of the client-side dictionary and the one or more documents is greater than a second size of uncompressed versions of the one or more documents;
• and
• in response to the first size not being greater than the second size, providing, by the database server and in response to the database query, the generated client-side dictionary for the one or more documents to the user device.

A non-transitory computer program product storing instructions which, when executed by at least one hardware data processors, cause operations comprising:

• receiving, at a database server and from a user device, a database query related to at least a portion of a plurality of stored documents;
• retrieving, by the database server and based on the database query, one or more documents from the plurality of stored documents;
• generating, by the database server, a server-side dictionary for the one or more documents, wherein the server-side dictionary includes a plurality of content from the plurality of stored documents, and wherein each of the plurality of content is mapped to a reference value identifying a corresponding content contained in the plurality of stored documents to encode and/or decode, the server-side dictionary further including a slice identifier identifying a slice storing at least a portion of the corresponding content and, for each of the plurality of content, a range of values for the corresponding content to enable searching the range of values rather than the database server;
• generating, based on the server-side dictionary, a client-side dictionary;
• determining, by the database server, whether a first size of the client-side dictionary and the one or more documents is greater than a second size of uncompressed versions of the one or more documents;
• and
• in response to the first size not being greater than the second size, providing, by the database server and in response to the database query, the generated client-side dictionary for the one or more documents to the user device.