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MySQL 5.1 Reference Manual :: 16 Partitioning
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Chapter 16. Partitioning

Table of Contents

16.1. Overview of Partitioning in MySQL
16.2. Partition Types
16.2.1. RANGE Partitioning
16.2.2. LIST Partitioning
16.2.3. HASH Partitioning
16.2.4. KEY Partitioning
16.2.5. Subpartitioning
16.2.6. How MySQL Partitioning Handles NULL Values
16.3. Partition Management
16.3.1. Management of RANGE and LIST Partitions
16.3.2. Management of HASH and KEY Partitions
16.3.3. Maintenance of Partitions
16.3.4. Obtaining Information About Partitions
16.4. Partition Pruning
16.5. Restrictions and Limitations on Partitioning

Due to a build slippage, binary distributions of MySQL 5.1.12 contained neither NDB Cluster nor Partitioning. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please upgrade to 5.1.14. If you build from source, you can execute configure with the --with-ndbcluster and --with-partition options.

This chapter discusses user-defined partitioning, as implemented in MySQL 5.1.

An introduction to partitioning and partitioning concepts may be found in Section 16.1, “Overview of Partitioning in MySQL”.

MySQL supports several types of partitioning, which are discussed in Section 16.2, “Partition Types”, as well as subpartitioning, which is described in Section 16.2.5, “Subpartitioning”.

Methods of adding, removing, and altering partitions in existing partitioned tables are covered in Section 16.3, “Partition Management”.

Table maintenance commands for use with partitioned tables are discussed in Section 16.3.3, “Maintenance of Partitions”.

Important: Partitioned tables created with MySQL versions prior to 5.1.6 cannot be read by a 5.1.6 or later MySQL Server. In addition, the INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES table cannot be used if such tables are present on a 5.1.6 server. Beginning with MySQL 5.1.7, a suitable warning message is generated instead, to alert the user that incompatible partitioned tables have been found by the server.

Important: If you are using partitioned tables which were created in MySQL 5.1.5 or earlier, be sure to see Section C.1.13, “Changes in release 5.1.6 (01 February 2006)” for more information and suggested workarounds before upgrading to MySQL 5.1.6 or later.

The partitioning implementation in MySQL 5.1 is still undergoing development. For known issues with MySQL partitioning, see Section 16.5, “Restrictions and Limitations on Partitioning”, where we have noted these.

You may also find the following resources to be useful when working with partitioned tables.

Additional Resources:

  • MySQL Partitioning Forum

    This is the official discussion forum for those interested in or experimenting with MySQL Partitioning technology. It features announcements and updates from MySQL developers and others. It is monitored by members of the Partitioning Development and Documentation Teams.

  • Mikael Ronström's Blog

    MySQL Partitioning Architect and Lead Developer Mikael Ronström frequently posts articles here concerning his work with MySQL Partitioning and MySQL Cluster.

  • PlanetMySQL

    A MySQL news site featuring MySQL-related blogs, which should be of interest to anyone using my MySQL. We encourage you to check here for links to blogs kept by those working with MySQL Partitioning, or to have your own blog added to those covered.

MySQL 5.1 binaries are now available from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.1.html. However, for the latest partitioning bugfixes and feature additions, you can obtain the source from our BitKeeper repository. To enable partitioning, you need to compile the server using the --with-partition option. For more information about building MySQL, see Section 2.9, “MySQL Installation Using a Source Distribution”. If you have problems compiling a partitioning-enabled MySQL 5.1 build, check the MySQL Partitioning Forum and ask for assistance there if you don't find a solution to your problem already posted.