MongoDB: Is a range query possible using multikeys? - mongodb

Question

var jd = {
type: "Person",
attributes: {
name: "John Doe",
age: 30
}
};
var pd = {
type: "Person",
attributes: {
name: "Penelope Doe",
age: 26
}
};
var ss = {
type: "Book",
attributes: {
name: "The Sword Of Shannara",
author: "Terry Brooks"
}
};
db.things.save(jd);
db.things.save(pd);
db.things.save(ss);
db.things.ensureIndex({attributes: 1})
db.things.find({"attributes.age": 30}) // => John Doe
db.things.find({"attributes.age": 30}).explain() // => BasicCursor... (don't want a scan)
db.things.find({"attributes.age": {$gte: 18}) // John Doe, Penelope Doe (via a scan)
The goal is that all attributes be indexed and searchable via range queries and that the index actually be used (as opposed to a collection scan). There's no telling what attributes a document will have. I have read about multikeys but they seem only to work (by index) with exact-match queries.
Multikeys prefers this format for a document:
var pd = {
type: "Person",
attributes: [
{name: "Penelope Doe"},
{age: 26}
]
};
Is there a pattern where by one index I can find items by attribute using a range?
EDIT:
In a schemaless DB it makes sense to have potentially a limitless array of types, yet a collection name practically implies some sort of type. But if we go to the extreme, we want to allow for any number of types within a collection (so that we don't have to define a collection for every conceivable custom type a user might imagine). Searching, therefore, by attributes (of any sort) with just a single deep index (that supports ranged queries) makes this sort of thing far more feasible. Seems to me a natural fit for a schemaless DB.
Opened a ticket if you wanna vote it up:
http://jira.mongodb.org/browse/SERVER-2675

Answer 1

Yes range queries work with multikeys. However multikeys are for arrays rather than embedded objects.
In the example above try
db.things.ensureIndex({"attributes.age": 1})

Answer 2

Range queries are possible using multikeys; however, expressing the query can be tricky.