Pregenerates

Pregenerates, in the context of computing and data management, refers to the practice of creating or calculating certain data structures or content in advance, rather than on demand. This proactive approach aims to improve performance by reducing latency or computational load when the data is actually needed.

One common application is in video game development, where complex game assets, such as terrain, character models, or lighting information, might be pregenerated during the development phase or at the start of a game session. This avoids performance bottlenecks during gameplay, ensuring a smoother experience for the player. Similarly, in web development, pregenerating static HTML pages from dynamic content can significantly speed up website loading times by serving ready-made files instead of processing them on each request.

Database systems may also employ pregeneration techniques. For instance, materialized views are a form of pregenerated query results that are stored and updated periodically. This allows for faster retrieval of complex or frequently accessed data that would otherwise require expensive joins or aggregations. Caching mechanisms can also be seen as a form of pregeneration, where frequently accessed data is stored in a faster, more accessible location. The trade-off for pregeneration is typically increased storage space and the need for a mechanism to update the pregenerated data when the underlying information changes.