Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

Creating a Partitioned Table

Tables are partitioned only when they are created. This is an important point to keep in mind when you are considering adding partitions to a table that already exists. Sometimes, performance issues or other factors may lead you to determine that a table you have already created and populated may benefit from being partitioned.

The re-creation of large tables in a production environment requires some forethought and planning. The data in the table must be retained in another location for you to re-create the table. Bulk copying the data to a flat file and renaming the table are two possible solutions for retaining the data. After you determine the data retention method, you can re-create the table with the new partition ...