[17/01/2012] As shown in the diagram above, directories are represented as tables. Because we implement tables using B+ trees, directories can scale efficiently, becoming very large. Files are implemented as tables embedded within a row of the parent directory, itself a table (represented as File Metadata in the diagram above). The rows within the File Metadata table represent the various file attributes. The file data extent locations are represented by an embedded stream table, which is a table of offset mappings (and, optionally, checksums). This means that the files and directories can be very large without a performance impact, eclipsing the limitations found in NTFS.
![[17/01/2012] As shown in the diagram above, directories are represented as tables. Because we implement tables using B+ trees, directories can scale efficiently, becoming very large. Files are implemented as tables embedded within a row of the parent directory, itself a table (represented as File Metadata in the diagram above). The rows within the File Metadata table represent the various file attributes. The file data extent locations are represented by an embedded stream table, which is a table of offset mappings (and, optionally, checksums). This means that the files and directories can be very large without a performance impact, eclipsing the limitations found in NTFS.](/screenshots/1280x1024/2012/01/Windows-8-REFS-2.jpg)
