Optimization
Table Partitioning for Large Datasets
Senior Data Analyst
March 19, 2026
6 min read
The Problem
Our `events` table has 10 billion rows. Even with indexes, queries are slow because the table is just too big.
The Solution: Partitioning
Split the table by a key (usually date). Queries that filter by date will only scan the relevant partition.
CREATE TABLE events (
id SERIAL,
event_date DATE,
...
) PARTITION BY RANGE (event_date);
CREATE TABLE events_2025 PARTITION OF events FOR VALUES FROM ('2025-01-01') TO ('2026-01-01');
CREATE TABLE events_2026 PARTITION OF events FOR VALUES FROM ('2026-01-01') TO ('2027-01-01');
Pro Tip
Partitioning is a DBA task, but understanding it helps you design better schema and faster queries.
*Day 79: Materialized Views.*