A computer-implemented method of constructing and maintaining a record keeping dictionary data structure can include: generating a PATRICIA trie from a set of strings; generating multiple kth-level elevator-stairs data structures at exponentially reducing k-levels, wherein each of the kth-level elevator-stairs data structure includes a kth-level trie corresponding to the PATRICIA trie and wherein nodes of the kth-level trie at string depths of integer multiples of k are accessible through hash table links; and linking nodes in neighboring kth-level tries of the multiple kth-level elevator-stairs data structures where the nodes represent a same node in the PATRICIA trie.