Patent ID: 7299239

Claim:
A machine-implemented method of partitioning a table that comprises a plurality of rows that each contain data, the method comprising: statically partitioning said table at a plurality of levels, wherein the step of statically partitioning said table at a plurality of levels includes the steps of: (a) statically partitioning said table at a first level based on a first criteria to create a first set of table partitions, wherein each table partition in the first set of partitions is a distinct subtable of said table and contains a distinct subset of said plurality of rows relative to the other table partitions in the first set; and (b) statically partitioning said table at a second level based on a second criteria to create a second set of table partitions, wherein each table partition in the second set of table partitions is a distinct subtable of said table and contains a distinct subset of said plurality of rows relative to the other partitions in the second set, wherein said first set of table partitions is different than said second set of table partitions, and wherein said table is partitioned at one or more of said plurality of levels using list-based partitioning; wherein partitioning said table using list-based partitioning results in a particular set of table partitions; wherein each table partition in the particular set of table partitions is associated with an explicitly enumerated set of key values; wherein the explicitly enumerated set of key values that is associated with each table partition in the particular set of table partitions has no key values in common with the explicitly enumerated set of key values associated with any other of the table partitions in the particular set of table partitions; wherein, for each table partition in the particular set of table partitions, each row in said table partition contains a value from the explicitly enumerated set of key values that has been assigned to said table partition.