8.4. Try to minimize row and column sizes

In HBase, values are always freighted with their coordinates; as a cell value passes through the system, it'll be accompanied by its row, column name, and timestamp. Always. If your rows and column names are large, especially compared o the size of the cell value, then you may run up against some interesting scenarios. One such is the case described by Marc Limotte at the tail of HBASE-3551 (recommended!). Therein, the indices that are kept on HBase storefiles (Section 12.3.4.2, “StoreFile (HFile)”) to facilitate random access may end up occupyng large chunks of the HBase allotted RAM because the cell value coordinates are large. Mark in the above cited comment suggests upping the block size so entries in the store file index happen at a larger interval or modify the table schema so it makes for smaller rows and column names. `