Data structure for non-overlapping ranges within a single dimension

Question

I need a data structure that can store non-overlapping ranges within a single dimension. The entire range of the dimension need not be completely covered.

An example

Answer 1

If you are lucky (!) enough to be using Postgres, you can use a tstzrange column, and apply a constraint to prevent overlaps. The bonus of using a range type is that it will inherently prevent start being greater than finish.

ALTER TABLE "booking" 
ADD CONSTRAINT "overlapping_bookings" 
EXCLUDE USING gist ("period" WITH &&, "room" WITH =);

You may need to CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS btree_gist, as creating a gist using && is not supported without that extension.