Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

Using Partitioned Tables

In SQL Server 2012, tables are stored in one or more partitions. Partitions are organizational units that allow you to divide data into logical groups. By default, a table has only a single partition that contains all the data. The power of partitions comes into play when you define multiple partitions for a table that is segmented based on a key column. This column allows the data rows to be horizontally split. For example, a date/time column can be used to divide each month’s data into a separate partition. These partitions can also be aligned to different filegroups for added flexibility, ease of maintenance, and improved performance.

The important point to remember is that you access tables with multiple partitions ...