Partitioning and Clustering

Partitioning splits one large table into physically separate chunks by a key (usually date), so a query with a matching filter reads only the relevant partitions rather than the whole table. Clustering and sort keys order data within storage so related rows sit together, improving locality and letting the engine skip blocks. AI, ML, and GenAI interviews probe this because in a cloud warehouse you pay per byte scanned, and turning a full scan into a thin slice separates a query that costs cents from one that costs dollars and minutes.