Occasionally, in a simple prefix B+-tree, a separator can be as large as a key in a leaf. For example, if the last key in one leaf is “Herman” and the first key in the next leaf is “Hermann,” then...

Occasionally, in a simple prefix B+-tree, a separator can be as large as a key in a leaf. For example, if the last key in one leaf is “Herman” and the first key in the next leaf is “Hermann,” then “Hermann” must be chosen as a separator in the parent of these leaves. Suggest a procedure to enforce the shorter separator.