I have written a number of posts in the past working on shared databases and the concepts around these can be read at Sharding or No Sharding of Database – Working on my Weekend Project for the starters point of view. In a recent discussion at a user group, I had someone ask me what is the rationale around building a sharding key and what should be used for sharding their database. The concept, though common, it is not in black-and-white to what should be used as an sharding key. There are guiding principles which can be applied. Let us learn about Database Sharding.
SQL SERVER – Beginning of SQL Server Architecture – Terminology
SQL Server Architecture is a very deep subject. Covering it in a single post is an almost impossible task. However, this subject is very popular topic among beginners and advanced users. I have requested my friend Anil Kumar, who is expert in SQL Domain to help me write a simple post about Beginning SQL Server Architecture. As stated earlier, this subject is very deep subject and in this first article series he has covered basic terminologies. In future article he will explore the subject further down.
SQL SERVER – Generic Architecture Image
Just a day ago, while I was surfing Wikipedia about SQL Server, I came across this generic architecture image. I found it interesting. Click on image to view it in large size. The physical structure of the database is divided into the MDF and LDF. The part of MDF contains file group, data files, tables and indexes, extended and page. The LDF file contains a transaction log file. The physical architecture is about how the data is actually stored in the file system. Page, extend, database files are physical architecture.