AI engineering glossary · SQL databases
What is sharding?
Sharding (also called Horizontal partitioning): Splitting a large dataset across several database servers, each holding a subset of rows chosen by a shard key such as user id. It scales writes and storage beyond one machine but complicates joins and transactions across shards.
Sharding: an example
Users with ids 1 to 1 million go to server A and the next million to server B.
Related terms
More SQL databases terms
Where you learn it
Sharding is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.