Partition functions

Chapter 15 DBMS-Specific Features

Partition functions

A partition function specifies how a table or index can be partitioned. PowerDesigner models partition functions as extended objects with a stereotype of <<PartitionFunction>>.

Creating a partition function

You can create a partition function in any of the following ways:

Select Model→PartitionFunction Objects to access the List of PartitionFunctions, and click the Add a Row tool
Right-click the model or package in the Browser, and select New→PartitionFunction

Partition function properties

You can modify an object's properties from its property sheet. To open a partition function property sheet, double-click its diagram symbol or its Browser entry in the PartitionFunction Objects folder.

The following extended attributes are available on the Microsoft tab:

Name	Scripting Name	Description
Input Parameter Type	InputParameterType	Specifies the data type of the column used for partitioning. All data types are valid, except text, ntext, image, xml, timestamp, varchar(max), nvarchar(max), varbinary(max), alias data types, or CLR user-defined data types.
Interval Side	IntervalSide	Specifies to which side of each boundary value interval the boundary_value [,...n ] belongs. You can choose between: left [default] right Interval values are sorted by the Database Engine in ascending order from left to right.
Boundary Values	BoundaryValues	Specifies the boundary values for each partition of a partitioned table or index. All values must be separated by commas.