Algorithms for vertical partitioning in database physical design

An overriding objective in database physical design is to minimize the number of accesses made in the secondary storage when processing transactions. Vertical partitioning is a major step in database physical design to ensure fewer disk accesses. This paper defines the vertical partitioning problem and discusses the limitations of existing clustering algorithms for the problem. A new clustering algorithm is proposed. The algorithm uses the branch and bound approach. It may use an optimal or heuristic branching scheme and therefore it may generate optimal or approximate solutions. Not only does the algorithm avoid the limitations of existing approaches, but also it performs better than existing algorithms in the present comparative study.