Checkpoint 1: Build Physical Types and Arrays

Every later expression needs values it can read and arrays it can write. In this checkpoint, you will connect eight physical families and give nullable fixed-width, string, and Decimal values their dense array storage.

Start by copying the public checkpoint test into your starter and running it:

cargo x copy-test --chapter 1
cargo test -p type-exercise-starter-supplied-tests chapter_1 --locked

The copied test should not compile yet. Let its missing names and trait implementations become your work list, and make the changes under type-exercise-starter/core/src rather than in the test.

Connect the physical families

An execution engine needs both compile-time Rust types and runtime tags. Define these eight rows in physical_type.rs and variant_catalog.rs, keeping this order:

PhysicalType carries runtime information. Most variants are simple tags; Decimal(DecimalType) also carries precision and scale. The descriptor-free PhysicalFamily lets PHYSICAL_FAMILY_CATALOG list the same eight supported rows without inventing Decimal metadata.

In scalar.rs, complete the reciprocal relationships among Scalar, ScalarRef, and Array. The generic relationship should be strong enough that code with only S: Scalar can discover S::RefType<'a> and S::ArrayType, and an array can point back to the same scalar family.

The generic associated type matters for strings: an integer read is copied, but an &'a str must stay tied to the array that owns its bytes.

fn first_value<S: Scalar>(array: &S::ArrayType) -> Option<S> {
    array.get(0).map(ScalarRef::to_owned_scalar)
}

Use the catalog callback to generate the repeated scalar and array connections, then implement the erased ScalarImpl, ScalarRefImpl, and ArrayImpl boundaries. Upcasts through From cannot fail. Downcasts through TryFrom must report the actual and expected physical types instead of panicking or reinterpreting bytes.

Map logical types to storage

Define DecimalType and Decimal in decimal.rs. Check precision and scale when the descriptor is created, and reject an unscaled coefficient that cannot fit its precision. One descriptor belongs to the whole Decimal array, so precision and scale are not repeated beside each i128.

Define the planner-facing DataType in data_type.rs. Map SQL names such as SmallInt, Integer, Varchar, and Decimal to the physical families above. Add the string and numeric classifiers used by the public test.

Store fixed-width values densely

Replace the marker types in array/primitive_array.rs with two buffers:

• Vec<T> contains one value slot per row.
• BitVec contains one validity bit per row; true means non-null.

A null row still has a value slot. Store T::default() there and treat it as ignored—the validity bit is the only source of nullness. Implement the six fixed-width aliases with one generic PrimitiveArray<T> and one generic builder. Expose read-only values() and validity() accessors so callers can inspect the layout without mutating it.

Store strings without one allocation per row

In array/string_array.rs, use three buffers:

• Vec<u8> stores all UTF-8 bytes.
• Vec<usize> stores row_count + 1 nondecreasing offsets.
• BitVec stores row validity.

Row i occupies offsets[i]..offsets[i + 1]. Null and empty strings may repeat an offset; the validity bit distinguishes them. get should return an &str borrowed directly from the byte buffer.

This checkpoint stops at storage and borrowed reads. Transactional string writing, slicing, and column views arrive when the evaluator needs them.

Keep Decimal metadata stable

In array/decimal_array.rs, wrap dense i128 storage with one DecimalType. Validate raw-part lengths and every non-null coefficient. If a new row carries different Decimal metadata, reject it before changing the builder’s length or buffers.

Run the checkpoint

Run the same learner command until all five public behaviors pass:

cargo x copy-test --chapter 1
cargo test -p type-exercise-starter-supplied-tests chapter_1 --locked

You can compare against the completed checkpoint without changing the starter:

cargo test -p type-exercise-checkpoint-01-supplied-tests --locked
cargo check -p type-exercise-checkpoint-01-core --locked

You are done when the catalog has all eight rows, dense arrays preserve values and null positions, string reads borrow from the shared bytes, Decimal builders reject incompatible metadata without mutation, and erased downcasts fail safely for the wrong family.

The next checkpoint will add nullable Array, Constant, and Indexed column views. It will use these arrays rather than replacing them.