Patent ID: 8543621

Claim:
A method, comprising: accessing a database that has been partitioned into a plurality of virtual partitions; wherein accessing the database includes mapping each of the virtual partitions to a respective one of a plurality of physical databases, the plurality of physical databases together forming the database; inserting a plurality of data records into the database, including assigning each of the plurality of data records to a respective one of the plurality of virtual partitions; storing each of the plurality of data records in the respective one of the plurality of physical databases to which the corresponding one of the virtual partitions is mapped; generating a record identifier for at least one of the plurality of data records, wherein the record identifier comprises a virtual partition identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of virtual partitions in the database; and in response to an increase in the number of the plurality of virtual partitions, increasing a number of bits used in the virtual partition identifier without increasing a length of the record identifier; wherein instructions for generating the record identifier are implemented in at least one computer system that comprises instructions stored in a machine-readable medium and a processor that executes the instructions.