Database Sharding/Partitioning Overview
Back when Microsoft SQL Server 2005 was still in Community Technical Preview stage, months before the release, some of the SQL team working with integrating XML into SQL Server released a white paper on TechNet reviewing the methodology behind creating indexes on the contents of the XML data type. I read the paper back then and was impressed with how the approached the problem.
I have looked many times since then to re-locate that white paper with no success. However, in my latest Google quest I came across this white paper on database sharding. Sharding was the technique MS used when building XML indexes. This white paper is one of the most concise and easy to understand reviews of the different reasons, techniques, and performance considerations for sharding portions or even complete databases.
What I like the most about this document is it provides you with the problem that may be solved, issues you may encounter, failover choices you may have to make, and different methods for sharding itself. Making this all work is not trivial. But if you simply want to know what is going on, this is a great fundamental overview.
http://www.itpub.net/thread-1511211-1-1.html
Share your best white paper find by sending the url and a reason why you like it to btaylor@sswug.org. Oh, and if you find the sharding white paper from Microsoft on XML indexing, please send me a link.
Cheers,
Ben
$$SWYNK$$
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