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 instead of the whole table. Clustering and sort keys order data within storage so related rows sit together, improving locality and letting the engine skip blocks. Applied-AI interviews probe this because in a cloud warehouse you pay per byte scanned, and turning a full scan into a thin slice is the difference between a query that costs cents and one that costs dollars and minutes.