Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 Administrator's Companion

Chapter 19. Data Partitioning

Partitioning Fundamentals

Designing Partitions

Creating Partitions

Viewing Partition Information

Maintaining Partitions

Using Partitions

Partitioning Scenarios

Summary

Data partitioning is the process of dividing, or partitioning, a table into smaller, more manageable pieces. Data partitioning exists in two forms: horizontal partitioning and vertical partitioning. Horizontal partitioning is where a table with a large number of rows is split into multiple partitions, each with the same number of columns but fewer rows. Vertical partitioning is where a table with a large number of columns or very large columns is split into multiple partitions, each with the same number of rows but fewer columns.

Vertical partitioning appears ...