Horizontal vs vertical partitioning in HLD - Quick Revision & Key Differences

Recall & Review

beginner

What is horizontal partitioning in database design?

Horizontal partitioning means splitting a table into multiple tables where each table holds a subset of rows. Think of it like dividing a guest list by last name ranges.

beginner

What is vertical partitioning in database design?

Vertical partitioning means splitting a table into multiple tables where each table holds a subset of columns. Imagine separating a contact list into one table for names and another for phone numbers.

intermediate

Which partitioning method improves query performance by reducing the number of columns scanned?

Vertical partitioning improves query performance by limiting the columns scanned, making queries faster when only some columns are needed.

intermediate

How does horizontal partitioning help with scaling databases?

Horizontal partitioning helps scaling by distributing rows across multiple servers or disks, allowing parallel processing and reducing load on any single server.

beginner

Give a real-life example to explain horizontal partitioning.

Imagine a library splitting its books by genre into different shelves. Each shelf holds a subset of books (rows), which is like horizontal partitioning.

What does horizontal partitioning split in a database?

A Indexes

B Columns

C Rows

D Databases

Horizontal partitioning splits the table by rows, dividing data into subsets of records.

Vertical partitioning is best used when:

A You want to split data by columns

B You want to archive old data

C You want to replicate data

D You want to split data by rows

Vertical partitioning splits data by columns, separating attributes into different tables.

Which partitioning method can improve query speed by reducing data scanned?

A Horizontal partitioning

B Vertical partitioning

C Both equally

D Neither

Vertical partitioning reduces the number of columns scanned, speeding up queries that need fewer columns.

Horizontal partitioning helps with:

A Reducing columns in a table

B Normalizing data

C Encrypting data

D Distributing rows across servers

Horizontal partitioning distributes rows across servers or disks to improve scalability.

Which is an example of vertical partitioning?

A Splitting customer data into personal info and purchase history tables

B Splitting customer data by region

C Backing up data to another server

D Sharding data by user ID

Vertical partitioning splits data by columns, such as separating personal info and purchase history.

Explain the difference between horizontal and vertical partitioning with simple examples.

Think about dividing a spreadsheet by rows vs columns.

Describe how horizontal and vertical partitioning can help improve database performance and scalability.

Consider what happens when you only need some data or want to share load.