Explain why using indexes allows faster data retrieval in a database.

Indexes in a database work like pointers or a table of contents in a book: they allow quick access to the needed data without scanning all records. An index stores the values of key fields and references to the corresponding records, reducing the number of read operations and speeding up searches. For example, when searching by a B-tree index, the database quickly navigates to the required branch, bypassing unnecessary data, instead of sequentially scanning the entire table.