Cassandra 1.1 composite keys / columns and hierarchical queries

Question

So far, this is what I understand of the current Cassandra architecture:

1. Super columns are not desirable any more due to performance issues.
2. Composite columns (actually keys) are a good choice for indexing hierarchical keys.
3. Composite columns store nested components in sorted order. There is no actual index.

I have some questions:

1. Is everything I stated correct?
2. Can composite columns efficiently process range queries per component (assuming logical usage)?
3. Are composite columns suited to extremely large numbers of rows while still yielding rapid query results (considering they are not an index per se)?
4. Can secondary indexes be created against composite columns. If yes, can range queries be efficiently performed?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes, because they are sorted on write just like any other column
4. Yes, secondaries can be created against composites as of 1.2. See this JIRA ticket